•:.:- 


MAN'S    WRONGS; 


OR. 


WOMAN'S     FOIBLES. 


BY 

KATE     MANTON. 


BOSTON : 

CROSBY    &    DAMRELL, 

100  WASHINGTON  STREET. 
1870. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1870,  by 

CROSBY  &  DAMR! 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


STTIRKOTTPSD   BY   It.    C.  WIIITCOMB   AND   CO., 

15  Water  Street,  Boston. 


I. 


IX  the  following  pages  I  have  given  to  man,  the 
place  which  God  has  given  him;  —  to  woman,  I 
present  her  foibles  and  vanities,  that  she  may  see 
herself  as  others  see  her ;  trusting  that  she  will  derive 
benefit  from  the  sighf. 

The  incidents  of  history,  and  those  which  have 
most  deeply  interested  me  in  my  travels,  I  trust  will 
be  of  equal  interest  to  all  who  may  read  them. 

The  entries  of  my  love  affair,  I  am  free  to  confess, 
are  tame  and  commonplace  ;  but  my  retired  life?  dur- 
ing the  past  year,  has  saved  me  from  the  stratagems 
and  wiles  which  are  requisite  to  a  popular  love  story. 


WANTED.  "  A  partner  with  a  capital  of  a  thou- 
sand dollars  in  a  business,  the  profits  of  which  will 
be  four  thousand  the  first  year." 

(a) 
1694442 


4  AfAM"S  WRONGS; 

• 

A  thousand  dollars !  Can  I  not  devise  some  plan 
to  earn  it,  secure  the  partnership  and  present  it  to  my 
dear  father? 

Not  that  I  care  for  wealth  on  my  own  account,  for 
my  wants  are  few,  and  my  blessings  far  more  than  I 
deserve  ;  but  for  my  mother,  —  my  kind,  my  gentle 
mother !  When  I  think  of  her  social  position  in 
by-gone  days,  her  luxurious  Southern  home,  her 
every  wish  anticipated,  the  greatest  men  of  the  day 
proud  to  be  classed  among  her  friends — and  now, 
yes  !  and  now,  where  is  she? 

Living  on  an  obscure  street  in  Harlem,  a  loved 
wife,  and  the  almost  idolized  mother  of  her  son  and 
daughter ;  ever  planning  and  contriving  to  meet  the 
expenses  of  her  family,  on  my  father's  scanty  salary  of 
fourteen  hundred  a  year  ;  denying  herself,  and  us  all, 
of  every  luxury,  rather  than  owe  any  man  a  penny, 
and  I,  poor  insignificant  being  that  I  am,  earning  just 
enough  by  my  six  drawing  scholars  to  keep  myself  in 
plain  clothes. 

But  then  I  am  content. 

Ma  says  "  we  should  not  try  to  deceive  people  by 
wearing  finery  and  trinkets,  giving  them  the  impres- 
sion that  we  are  not  poor  when  we  are  poor"  !  She 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  5 

says  "  when  poverty  is  our  misfortune  rather  than  our 
crime,  we  should  never  be  ashamed  to  say  we  cannot 
afford  this,  that,  or  the  other,  for  such  a  course  would 
win  the  respect  of  any  man  whose  opinion  was  worth 
anything"  ;  —  and  poverty  was  our  misfortune,  brought 
on  by  our  wicked  war  ! 

Though  we  were  loyal,  and  always  have  been  loyal, 
a's  pa  says, — for  I  neither  know  or  care  anything 
about  politics,  —  to  the  best  government  on  earth,  yet 
our  loyalty  did  not  save  us,  for  grandpa  and  pa  were 
misrepresented  by  our  countrymen,  who  were  angry 
that  they  would  not  join  with  them  in  separating  from 
the  North  ;  and  thus,  as  brother  Francis  says,  "  help 
mar  the  glory  of  the  grand  old  stars  and  stripes"! 
And  so  our  slaves  were  taken,  —  I'm  glad  olthat,  if 
they  are  only  treated  well,  for  I  never  did  believe  in 
Slavery,  —  our  elegant  mansion  was  turned  into  bar- 
racks for  the  soldiers,  our  barns  and  grounds  were 
destroyed,  and  we  driven  out  to  commence  life  anew 
in  the  cold,  unsympathizing  North. 

How  glad  I  am  that  uncle  Frank  insisted  on  in- 
vesting that  eight  thousand  of  ma's  in  Bowditch's 
office,  in  Boston, — the  "hub,"  as  the  Bostonians  call 


6  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

it, —  but  /think  they  are  very  pretentious,  when  New 
Tork  is  so  much  more  deserving  the  name ! 

Grandpa  was  a  little  touched  about  it  at  the  time, — 
but  had  he  have  deposited  it  in  one  of  our  Southern 
offices,  where  would  it  have  been  now? 

Echo  answers,  Where? 

And  now  for  the  thousand  dollars  that  I  must  try 
and  earn ;  or  if  I  could  raise  five  hundred  even,  it 
may  be  by  that  time  it  would  produce  a  partnership 
worth  twenty-five  hundred,  or  three  thousand ;  for 
money  is  in  such  demand  just  now,  that  the  induce- 
ments oflered  for  its  use  are  so  fabulous,  that  one  is 
inclined  to  doubt  whether  they  are  bona  Jlde  or  no  ! 

But  this  one  reads  as  if  it  means  what  it  affirms. 
If  it  should  prove  a  humbug,  the  money  that  I  earn 
will  be  no  phantom,  and  in  that  case  I  can  use  it  to 
assist  in  defraying  brother  Francis's  expenses  in 
Harvard. 

I  like  old  Harvard! 

Grandpa  and  uncle  Frank  graduated  there. 

How  I  do  love  to  hear  them  tell  about  their  college 
days,  particularly  when  they  were  Freshmen,  and 
hazed  !  They  never  appeared  to  feel  so  sore  about  it 
as  do  the  young  collegians  of  the  present  day. 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  j 

I  always  smile  when  I  think  of  uncle  Frank  walk- 
ing around  his  room  with  his  nightcap  on,  drawing  a 
little  lamb  on  rollers,  singing  all  the  while,  "Mary 
had  a  little  lamb  —  little  lamb — little  lamb"  —  which 
feat  was  continued  until  he  had  made  the  circuit  of 
the  room  thirty  times  !  He  says  that  "  he  never  sees 
a  lamb  now,  especially  a  tin  one,  that  he  doesn't 
smile." 

And  now,  let  me  strike  the  anvils  of  my  imagina- 
tion, and  see  if  a  few  sparks  will  emit,  which,  by 
lighting  in  the  right  direction,  will  enable  me  to  reap 
the  sum  which  I  so  ardently  desire  ! 

Perhaps,  if  I  should  try,  I  could  write  a  book, — 
but  what  shall  it  be  about? 

The  truth  is,  I  never  could  write  a  composition 
even  when  I  was  in  school,  and  contrived  all  sort  of 
plans  to  procure  a  little  help,  and  rid  myself,  in  some 
way,  of  the  hated  duty. 

Apropos.  I  cannot  understand  how  the  writing 
of  compositions  originated  as  a  school  exercise ! 
Why  not  as  well  compose  music  or  poetry,  as  prose  ? 

Tbc  idea  of  obliging  a  child  who  has  scarcely  an 
idea  in  its  little  pate  to  write  at  least  a  page  on 
"  Benevolence,"  "  Conscience,"  "  Moral  Suasion," 


8  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

and  such  like,  with  the  knowledge  that  its  poor 
attempt  is  to  be  paraded  before  the  school,  and,  in 
some  instances,  the  poor  wight  himself  being  called 
upon  to  read  his  own  production.  I  do  not  believe 
the  sin  of  deceiving,  —  yes  !  and  lying  often,  will  be 
laid  at  the  door  of  those  poor  children  who  arc 
actually  frightened  into  wrong-doing. 

Writing  is  a  gift  which  few  comparatively  receive. 
There  are  those  who  could  not  write  six  pages,  or 
even  three,  on  a  given  subject,  that  could  be  called 
writing,  to  save  their  lives. 

This  cxeicise,  I  think,  should  be  free,  —  without 
compulsion,  —  and  children  encouraged  rather  than 
driven  to  take  up  the  study.  I  fear,  though,  as  the 
talent  and  learning  of  the  day  are  arrayed  against 
me,  it  will  be  a  long  day  before  there  will  be 
reform  according  to  my  ideas ! 

But  my  book ! 

What  shall  be  its  title?  for  there's  much  in  a  name  ! 

There  was  Mr.  or  Miss  Hamilton,  —  it  is  difficult 
to  tell  whether  Gail  is  masculine  or  feminine,  — 
masculine,  I  should  say,  probably  derived  from  Gains, 
—  who  I  doubt  not  has  made  twice  the  sum  I  desire, 
by  the  sale  of  the  book,  "  Woman's  Wrongs ; " 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  9 

though  I  am  free  to  confess  a  handsome  portion 
of  it  should  be  sent  to  poor  Dr.  Todd,  the  free  use 
of  whose  name,  doubtless,  contributing  largely  to 
the  sale  of  the  book. 

Suppose  I  write  on  JWan's  Wrongs,  —  though  it 
is  precious  little  I  know  of  man.  I  do  not  believe 
one-naif  that  is  said  against  him ;  at  any  rate,  I 
should  not  be  afraid  to  trust  my  happiness  in  the 
keeping  of  some  one  of  the  little  dears !  As  far  as 
I  can  judge,  I  think  man  has  quite  as  many  wrongs 
as  woman ;  though  if  all  were  like  my  pa  and  ma, 
there  would  be  no  necessity  for  such  a  word  in  con- 
nection with  human  beings. 

Should  I  speak  my  honest  conviction,  I  should 
say  that  woman  must  thank  herself  for  a  great 
many  of  her  wrongs,  as  she  is  pleased  to  call  them. 
She  prefers  to  read  in  her  Bible  the  duties  of 
husbands,  that  they  should  love  and  be  tender  of 
their  wives,  as  their  own  bodies  ;  omitting  the  weight- 
ier matters  incumbent  on  herself,  —  as  reverence, 
subjection,  submission  ! 

Grandpa  says,  "  A  kind  wife  makes  a  kind  hus- 
band." 


10  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

Grandpa  is  a  judge,  and  he  ought  to  know  ;  though 
I  remember  when  I  went  to  school  there  were  excep- 
tions to  rules, — but  there  is  the  door-bell,  and  I  hear 
Minnie's  voice ! 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  1 1 


II. 


OX  one  of  the   principal  avenues   in  Berkshire 
is  an  elegant  mansion,  surrounded  by  terraces 
and    grounds    in   the    highest    state    of    cultivation. 

Arbors,    fountains,    and    statuary   abound ;    trees   of 

• 
every  kind  and   size  furnish  a  home  for  multitudes 

of  songsters,  who  are  constantly  flitting  from  branch 
to  branch,  pouring  from  their  tiny  throats  such  a 
volume  of  melody  as  to  impress  the  beholder  with 
the  belief  that  he  must  be  on  some  Italian  shore. 
Seated  in  one  of  these  arbors  is  an  elderly  lady,  dis- 
cussing with  her  son  the  plans  for  his  future  career. 

They  are  the  widow  and  son  of  Sir  Henry  Stuart 
Vernon,  formerly  a  wealthy  barrister  of  Berkshire, 
who,  at  his  decease  a  few  weeks  previous,  had  left 
his  only  son,  then  a  student  in  Oxford,  the  present 
Sir  Henry,  an  income  of  forty  thousand  a  year,  with 
the  next  claim  to  the  title  and  fortune  of  his  uncle, 


12  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

Sir  Albert  Fortescue  Vernon,  Earl  of  Somerset.  It 
hud  been  the  earnest  wish  of  the  elder  Sir  Henry 
that  his  only  child  should  wed  the  fair  Alice,  eldest 
daughter  of  Lord  Irving  of  Northumberland,  one  of 
the  reigning  belles,  and  heiress  to  one  of  the  greatest 
fortunes  in  the  county. 

But  young  Henry,  though  a  dutiful  and  obedient 
son  in  other  respects,  on  this  point  was  invulnerable, 
—  positively  declaring  that  he  would  never  be  tied 
for  life  to  one  whom  he  could  neither  love  or  respect. 

"I  have  money  enough  of  my  own,  so  I  surely 
shall  not  throw  away  my  whole  future  happiness 
for  money,"  said  he. 

"  The  Lady  Alice  Irving  is  haughty,  cold,  and 
self-opinionated.  She  never  would  yield  her  wishes 
to  any  one,  especially  a  husband. 

"No!  if  I  am  caught  in  the  wiles  of  matrimony, 
it  will  be  with  some  lady  of  character  and  heart; 
one  who  will  feel  for  me  so  strong  an  affection, 
that  a  difference  between  us  will  be  among  the 
impossibilities. 

"  I  care  not  for  title  or  wealth  ! 

"My  wife,  if  I  am  ever  blessed  with  one  who  is 
worthy  the  name  of  wife,  will  share  my  purse  and 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  !3 

x 

title,    and    if    I   secure   her    heart   in    return,   it    is 

enough."      So  spake  Sir  Henry  Vernon. 

It  was  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  this  matter 
that  his  mother  had  requested  an  interview  with 
him ;  all  that  her  heart  desired,  was  unbounded 
wealth  and  social  distinction.  For  this,  she  had 
bartered  herself  to  the  elder  Sir  Henry,  and  for  this 
she  was  willing  to  dispose  of  the  future  well-being 
of  her  only  child. 

"  Love  is  a  myth  ! "   said  she. 

"  There  is  no  such  thing  to  be  found  in  this  en- 
lightened age.  The  present  aim  of  every  man  and 
woman  is,  how  they  can  best  secure  a  connection 
with  one  who  will  add  in  some  way  to  their  own 

aggrandizement." 

% 
"  Then,  mother,  how  dare  men  enter  the  church, 

stand  before  the  altar  in  the  presence  of  God,  and 
promise  to  love  and  cherish  one  in  whom  they  have 
no  delight? 

"  How  can  a  woman  stand  before  the  same  altar, 
and  promise  audibly,  in  the  presence  of  the  same 
great  Being,  to  love,  submit  to,  and  reverence  a 
man,  for  whom,  alas!  too  often,  she  has  not  even 
a  preference? 


14  MAN'S   M'ROXGS; 

"Ah,  mother,  there  is  something  wrong  here!  I 
would  not  perjure  myself  in  this  way  to  secure  a 
throne ;  far  sooner  would  I  earn  my  bread  by  the 

> 

sweat  of  my  brow. 

"  The  Lady  Alice  Irving  I  can  never  wed  ;  I  would 
rather  be  a  lone  wanderer  on  the  earth,  than  pass 
a  year  with  her,  much  less  my  whole  life.  She 
has  my  best  wishes  for  her  future  happiness,  but 
she  will  never  be  nearer  to  me  than  she  now  is,  —  an 
acquaintance  only !  I  have  no  desire,  even,  to  be 
entered  on  her  list  of  friends !  " 

'•My  son,"  replied  Lady  Edith,  "you  are  blind 
to  your  own  interests.  There  was  no  love,  —  sim- 
ply an  everyday  fancy,  —  between  your  father 
and  me.  We  were  both  of  us  blessed  with  com- 
mon'sense!  We  knew  very  well  that  love  will 
not  pay  for  an  establishment,  or  give  social  posi- 
tion ;  and  as  our  union  would  place  us  both  in 
a  much  higher  standing  than  we  could  ever  hope 
to  attain  if  apart,  we  decided  to  marry,  and  entered 
into  an  alliance  as  we  should  any  other  business 
transaction  ;  and  you  see  we  were  right,  my  son  !  " 

"This  is  a  matter  of  opinion,"  replied  Sir  Ilenrv, 
respectfully;  "  and  I  trust  you  will  forgive  me  when 


OR,     WOMAX'S    FOIBLES.  15 

I  say  that  the  daily  witness  of  the  life  which  you 
and  my  father  led,  has  been  the  great  reason  for 
my  taking  the  decided  stand  which  I  now  occupy." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  reflect  on  our  treatment  of  each 
other?"  inquired  Lady  Edith,  haughtily. 

"Did  not  your  father  and  I  ever  maintain  the 
utmost  respect  towards  each  other  before  the  world?" 

"  Certainly,  most  certainly,  mother ;  but  God  grant 
that  I  may  never  be  so  situated  as  to  be  obliged 
daily,  nay  hourly,  to  feign  a  respect  which  I  do  not 
feel !  While  my  dear  father  lived,  I  ever  tried  to 
believe  that  I  must  be  mistaken  in  my  supposition, 
but  your  own  words  have  proved  my  surmisings  only 
too  true.  Again  I  say,  God  grant  me  strength  to 
resist  every  temptation  to  connect  myself  with  any 
one,  if  I  cannot  feel  assured  that  love,  —  that  perfect 
love  of  which  the  Bible  speaks,  —  is  to  be  the  foun- 
dation of  my  union." 

"  Then,  my  son,"  replied  Lady  Edith,  rising,  and 
scarcely  able  to  suppress  her  wrath,  "  then,  my  son, 
the  day  that  dawns  upon  your  marriage  with  one  of 
ignoble  blood,  sees  you  a  stranger  to  your  mother 
evermore  ; "  and  with  these  words  she  left  the  arbor. 

Sir  Henry  gazed  after  her,  and  exclaimed,  "Oh! 


j6  .V.LV.S-  ir/to.vcs; 

my  mother,  my  mother,  what  might  you  not  have 
been  to  your  husband  and  child  had  you  have  based 
your  marriage  on  true  affection?  My  poor  dear 
father,  ho\v  have  you  wronged  yourself,  and  how 
deeply  have  you  been  wronged  !  I  could  read  your 
heart  when  you  knew  it  not ;  I  was  a  witness,  during 
your  last  sickness,  of  that  earnest  longing  for  some 
one  who  would  whisper  to  you  words  of  sympathy 
and  love  ;  one,  who  instead  of  delegating  the  duty 
to  a  nurse,  would  have  considered  it  the  sweetest 
privilege  to  bathe  your  fevered  brow,  and  place  the 
cordial  to  your  lips.  You  would  not  own  it  to  me, 
my  father,  but  I  know  that  you  were  made  for  love  ; 
that  Vhcn  you  were  lying  sick  and  low,  you  would 
have  given  all  your  wealth,  if  need  be,  to  have 
received  one  loving  word,  one  tender  kiss  —  kiss,  did 
I  say?  I  don't  believe  you  ever  knew  the  meaning 
of  the  word  in  your  own  experience!  and  yet, — 
what  am  I  saying?  what  am  I  thinking?  It  is  my 
mother  !  I  must  draw  a  veil  over  her  shortcomings, 
and  not  allow  myself  to  dwell  upon  them,  for  I  am 
commanded  to  honor  my  father  and  my  mother. 
May  God  forgive  me  if  I  cannot  do  it ! " 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  17 


III. 

A  PARTY  !  Laura  Jenkins  to  have  a  party,  and 
I,  of  course,  not  invited. 

I  am  not  in  society  now. 

And  yet  I,  Kate  Manton,  in  all  my  poverty,  would 
feel  it  to  be  great  condescension  on  my  part  to 
visit  7icr,  the  daughter  of  a  fish-dealer,  who  has 
nothing  to  boast  of  but  the  aristocracy  of  wealth  ! 

I  am  the  granddaughter  of  judge  Blake,  —  the 
highest,  most  respected,  elegant  gentleman  of  the  old 
school,  —  and  with  his  blood  in  my  veins,  that  she 
should  dare  look  down  on  me ! 

But  stop!  In  what  feelings  am  I  indulging?  Is 
this  the  charity  that  thinketh  no  evil?  What  can 
Laura  Jenkins  know  of  my  antecedents?  Just  noth- 
ing! I  am  a  drawing  teacher  with  six  pupils,  the 
daughter  of  the  "  Clerk  of  the  House,"  who  has  the 
paltry  income  of  fourteen  hundred  a  year  on  which 

2 


!8  MA.V'S   WRONGS; 

to  support  a  family  of  four,  —  house-rent,  fuel, 
gas,  food  and  clothing,  all  included.  How  soon  we 
shall  grow  rich  on  this  generous  stipend !  Laura 
Jenkins  would  spend  twice  the  amount  on  herself 
alone,  in  the  same  length  of  time,  and  of  course 
she  looks  down  on  me  !  But  there  is  one  consola- 
tion. All  who  are  acquainted  with  our  history  feel 
that  the  condescension  would  be  on  our  side.  Give 
me  superiority  of  intellect  and  culture,  rather  than 
that  of  wealth.  In  my  case,  however,  I  fear  the  one 
would  prove  quite  as  much  of  a  phantom  as  the 
other ! 

But  why  should  such  a  trifle  annoy  me?  How 
much  of  real  pleasure  did  I  ever  experience  from 
the  elegant  parties  which  I  attended  before  the 
dreadful  war? 

My  own  party,  which  pa  gave  for  me  on  my 
entree  into  society.  Would  not  some  of  the  young 
ladies  who  now  look  down  upon  me,  be  astonished 
at  the  elegance  of  that  affair? 

And  yet,  after  all,  when  I  compare  those  days 
with  the  present,  I  really  think  I  lie  down  to  sleep 
with  a  much  happier  heart  now  than  I  did  then. 
It  was  ever  a  constant  vying  one  with  the  other 


OR.    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  I9 

which  should  excel  in  dress,  in  general  appearance, 
in  dancing,  in  music ;  in  a  word,  which  should  be 
the  observed  of  all  observers !  Should  one  more 
happy  than  the  rest  chance  to  secure  a  little  more 
admiration  and  attention  than  the  others,  what  heart- 
burnings, what  jealousies,  what  envyings!  Still,  I 
must  confess  that  it  is  rather  hard  for  one  who  has 
been  educated  in  the  highest  school  of  refinement, 
to  be  brought  so  low  that  even  second-class  people 
will  look  down  upon  her ! 

But  we  are  not  separated  entirely  from  our  friends. 
A  few  choice  ones  stand  by  us  yet ;  but  they  are 
those  who  stand  on  their  own  solid  foundation,  and 
no  one  dare  say  to  them,  "Why  do  ye  so?" 

It  is  only  those  who  stand  on  slippery  places  who 
are  afraid  to  extend  the  hand  of  fellowship  to  those 
less  blest  in  substance ! 

But  I  am  ashamed  of  my  weakness ! 

Had  any  one  have  told  me  that  a  trifling  slight 
like  this  should  have  thus  aroused  the  evil  in  my 
nature,  I  should  have  esteemed  it  an  insult. 

How  much  time  I  have  wasted! 

Had  I  have  been  patient  under  injury,  I  might 
have  written  something  on  Man's  Wrongs ;  but  if 


20  JlfAX'S    WfiONGS; 

poor  father  waits  for  my  inspiration,  I  fear  it  will 
be  a  long  time  before  he  sees  brighter  days. 

How  glad  I  am  that  I  gave  my  scat  in  the  horse- 
car  to  that  poor  woman  this  afternoon  !  Wasn't  she 
grateful?  Poor  thing!  I  did  pity  her  so. 

I  low  awkward  to  enter  a  car  when  every  scat  is 
taken,  and  find  that  you  arc  standing  alone,  —  the 
object  of  general  surveillance  to  those  who  have 
been  more  fortunate  than  yourself.  Your  form, 
dress,  and  person  scanned  from  top  to  toe.  Some- 
times, if  your  garment  is  a  trifle  out  of  style,  al- 
though it  is  the  best  you  can  afford,  a  smile,  per- 
chance a  whisper,  will  be  exchanged,  and  significant 
glances  thrown  from  one  to  the  other,  which  will 
disconcert  any  modest  young  ladv.  Some  young 
ladies  assume  an  air  of  nonchalance,  striving  to  show 
by  their  manner  that  they  are  not  at  all  annoyed, 
they  have  a  preference  for  standing ;  but  any  one 
of  ordinary  discernment  can  see  at  a  glance  that  it 
is  only  a  disguise  of  momentary  irritation ! 

Didn't  those  young  ladies  who  sneered  at  me  for 
offering  my  seat  to  the  poor  woman,  look  unutter- 
able things  when  that  elegant  stranger  rose  and 
proffered  me  his  scat? 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  2I 

I  suppose  some  fault-finders  would  ask  why  he 
did  not  rise  for  the  poor  woman?  lie  was  at  the 
extreme  end  of  the  car,  and  did  not  see  her  till  she 
was  in  the  act  of  taking  my  seat.  I  declined  ac- 
cepting it  as  long  as  propriety  would  admit,  for  I 
cannot  accept  the  seat  of  another,  as  many  people 
do,  as  a  right !  Such  a  look  of  admiration  as  he 
gave  me,  when  I  politely  thanked  him.  It  more  than 
compensated  me  for  performing  what  I  conceived 
to  be  my  duty.  And  here  it  will  not  be  inappro- 
priate for  me  to  write  a  word  on  what  I  consider 
one  of  "Man's  Wrongs." 

Why  every  man  who  wishes  to  be  considered  a 
gentleman,  should  feel  obliged,  no  matter  how  weary 
he  may  feel,  to  rise  and  proffer  his  seat  whenever 
a  lady  enters  a  car,  I  cannot  comprehend. 

I  am  sorry  to  say  if  this  is  the  criterion  of  a  gen- 
tleman though,  the  laboring  classes  would  be  in 
the  majority. 

Ma  says  it  was  etiquette  in  her  day  for  no  gen- 
tleman to  sit  in  the  presence  of  a  lady  while  she 
remained  standing.  It  was  a  mark  of  respect  for 
the  lady  ;  but,  in  our  day,  there  are  those  who  think 


22  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

the  less  respect  they  show  for  the  presence  of  ladies, 
the  more  independent  will  they  be  considered. 

I  have  heard,  on  good  authority,  that  there  are 
men  in  Boston,  calling  themselves  gentlemen,  who 
will  rush  for  the  horse-car  the  moment  it  arrives  at 
the  starting-point,  and  will  so  push  and  jostle  one 
another  that  they  may  secure  a  seat  for  themselves, 
it  is  dangerous,  at  times,  for  a  lady  to  attempt 
entering  until  these  same  g-cnttemen(?)  have  monop- 
olized every  seat.  This  does  not  sound  well,  and 
is  not  at  all  for  the  credit  of  our  sister  city. 

But  this  evil  can  be  remedied.  The  trouble  is, 
too  much  is  expected  of  man  in  this  particular.  He 
has  his  rights,  and  they  should  be  respected.  lie 
should  never  be  asked,  by  a  look  even,  to  give  up 
his  seat.  Should  he  be  kind  enough  to  waive  his 
right  for  the  accommodation  of  a  fellow-passenger, 
let  him  be  cordially  thanked  for  his  politeness. 

The  selfishness,  the  coarseness,  the  want  of  true 
modesty  in  so  many  of  the  women  of  the  present 
day  ;  the  accepting  every  favor  as  though  it  were  a 
right,  has  done  much  to  cause  men,  in  many  re- 
spects, to  act  so  contrary  to  their  better  nature. 

Before  so  much  was  said  of  woman's  rights,  man 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  23 

considered  himself  as  her  protector  ;  but  as  the  world 
progresses,  and  he  finds  that  she  prefers  to  take 
care  of  /^rself,  —  he,  acting  on  the  same  principle, 
concludes  to  look  our  for  /ii'msclf  ! 

I  do  not  blame  him. 

Man  has  his  rights,  and  he  intends  to  maintain 
them. 

One  may  always  recognize,  however,  a  gentleman 
of  the  old  school ! 

/A'  cannot  yet  bring  himself  to  sit  while  a  lady 
remains  standing ;  and  others  who  have  been  edu- 
cated in  this  belief,  will  not  be  convinced  that  any 
one  is  a  gentleman  who  does  not,  at  least,  proffer 
his  seat,  although  he  may  not  insist  on  its  being 
accepted. 

JANUARY  6th. 

To-day  is  mending-day.  It  is  a  mystery  to  me 
how  ma  can  contrive  to  do  all  her  mending  in  one 
day,  when  we  have  so  few  clothes,  and  are  obliged 
to  wear  them  till  it  appears  as  if  a  touch  even  would 
tear  them.  She  acts  upon  the  principle,  "A  stitch 
in  time  saves  nine  !  " 

As  we  sewed,  we  discussed  Laura  Jenkins's  party. 
Ma  thinks  my  views  and  feelings  are  very  wrong. 


24  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

She  says  "America  is  very  different  from  Europe," 
which,  of  course,  I  knew  before. 

She  says  "  there  is  no  such  thing  as  nobility  of 
descent  in  America ;  that  men  in  this  country  de- 
pend mainly  on  their  own  efforts  for  position  in 
society.  Should  the  richest,  most  refined,  and  culti- 
vated people,  occupying  the  highest  social  position, 
trace  back  their  genealogy  for  one  or  two  generations 
only,  they  will  find  that  their  grandparents,  and  in 
some  cases  their  parents  even,  lived  in  two  or  three 
rooms,  were  coopers,  bricklayers,  shoemakers,  or 
mechanics  of  some  sort,  who,  by  their  industry  and 
unostentation,  laid  by  a  small  sum,  which,  by  accu- 
mulating, enabled  them  to  educate  their  children, 
and  give  them  advantages  of  which  they  themselves 
were  deprived,  and  at  their  death  to  leave  them  a 
handsome  fortune.  This,  combined  with  education, 
sound  sense,  and  observation,  has  given  to  them  an 
ease  and  grace  of  manner  which  ever  elicits  the 
admiration  of  the  world." 

Ma  says  "  it  is  of  no  use  for  one  to  put  on  airs  in 
these  days,  and  feel  above  another  whose  father, 
perchance,  is  a  country  grocer !  She  must  be  very 
careful  that  she  herself  does  not  live  in  a  glass 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  25 

house,    and    learn,   to    her    chagrin,   that    her   own 
grandfather   was   a   country  tailor ! 

She  says,  also,  that  "it  is  the  mark  of  a  very  weak 
mind  to  be  constantly  on  the  alert  to  ascertain  a 
person's  pedigree  before  you  dare  have  any  inter- 
course with  them.  Those  who  are  called  shoddy, 
to-day,  will  be  the  merchant  princes  in  a  few  more 
years,  and  an  acquaintance  will  then  be  desirable 
with  their  children,  as  much  as  it  is  now  deprecated. 
In  our  land  it  is  the  law  of  rotation ;  — '  One  goes 
up,  and  the  other  goes  down ! ' " 


26  MAN'S    U'ltOXCS; 


IV. 

MINNIE  MAVERICK  has  been  in  this  after- 
noon, and  has  told  me  all  about  the  party. 
She  said  "  she  did  not  care  particularly  about  going, 
although  Laura  was  a  very  amiable  and  accom- 
plished young  lady ;  but  as  her  father  desired  her 
to  accept,  she  did  so  on  his  account." 

I  overheard  pa  saying  to  ma  that  "Maverick  was 
working  for  an  election  to  Congress  next  year,  so 
that  it  was  policy  for  him  to  ingratiate  himself  into 
the  good  graces  of  all." 

Minnie  Maverick  lives  on  Fifth  Avenue.  Mr. 
Maverick  is  one  of  Wall  Street's  wealthy  brokers, 
and  I  trust  I  am  not  uncharitable  when  I  say  that 
"I  think  the  reason  he  permits  Minnie  to  be  so  inti- 
mate with  me,  is  the  fact  that  father  was  a  promi- 
nent lawyer  in  Milledgeville,  and  that  Judge  Blake 
is  my  grandfather."  Though  fate  obliges  us  to  live 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  27 

in  obscurity  for  a  time,  yet  the  clay  may  dawn  when 
we  shall  be  enabled  to  take  our  former  position. 

Minnie  says  "  she  was  completely  taken  by  sur- 
prise. She  had  supposed  the  party  to  be  a  small, 
every-day  affair,  so  she  dressed  herself  accordingly, 
and  ordered  her  carriage  to  convey  her  there  just 
after  eight,  and  to  call  her  at  half-past  ten. 

"What  was  her  chagrin,  on  arriving,  to  find  that 
she  was  the  first  of  the  invited  guests ;  and,  to  add 
to  her  discomfiture,  she  saw  at  once  that  the  prepa- 
rations were  on  such  a  scale,  it  was  to  be  a  large 
and  elegant  party,  and  it  would  be  an  hour,  at  the 
least,  before  the  other  guests  would  arrive."  But 
Minnie  is  well  educated,  self-possessed,  and  equal 
to  any  emergency.  Although  not  elegantly,  yet  she 
was  becomingly  dressed.  She  therefore  told  Laura, 
without  hesitation,  that  "she  had  been  laboring  under 
a  mistaken  impression  in  regard  to  the  party,  and 
that  she  would  doubtless  appreciate  the  awkward- 
ness of  her  position." 

Laura  appeared  with  such  quiet  dignity,  and  yet 
entered  into  her  feelings  with  such  ready  sympathy, 
that  Minnie's  heart  has  been  completely  taken  by 
storm. 


38  .1fA.\-S   Jl'ftO.VGS; 

As  Laura  was  obliged  to  absent  bersclf  for  a  short 
time,  her  father,  Mr.  Jenkins,  exerted  himself  to  play 
the  agreeable,  and  thus  cause  Minnie  to  forget  her 
annoyance. 

Poor  Minnie  is  as  completely  captivated  by  the 
father  as  the  daughter. 

"  A  fish-dealer!"  she  says.  "If  everyone  in  her 
own  circle,  even  if  it  is  the  '  elite,'  was  as  perfect 
a  gentleman  as  Mr.  Jenkins,  she  shouldn't  blame  old 
Mrs.  Rogers  for  calling  them  'top-knots'!"  "If  I 
have  any  penetration,"  said  Minnie,  "  I  should  think 
there  were  very  few  as  high-bred  as  Mr.  Jenkins. 
Nothing  of  affectation  about  him,  but  a  quiet,  self- 
possessed,  and  cultivated  gentleman." 

"  Oh,  Kate!"  said  Minnie,  "you  never  saw  a  col- 
lection of  such  elegant  paintings  as  they  have  at 
Laura's.  I  really  feel  that  ours,  of  which  I  was 
always  so  proud,  are  scarcely  worthy  of  being  men- 
tioned, even.  It  seemed  to  afford  Mr.  Jenkins  real 
pleasure  to  point  out  their  beauties,  and  give  me 
their  history.  Two  of  them  he  purchased  when  in 
Spain.  He  was  very  fortunate  in  obtaining  them, 
which  he  did  through  the  influence  of  one  of  his 
wife's  relatives  whom  they  were  visiting,  as  she  was 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  29 

a  personal  friend  of  the  original  owner,  and  evinced 
much  interest  in  procuring  it  for  them.  Laura's 
mother  is  of  Spanish  descent. 

"  One  of  the  paintings  was  by  Cano,  surnamed 
El  Racionero,  who  was  born  in  Granada  about  the 
year  1600,  and  who  was  so  distinguished  that  his 
countrymen  called  him  the  Michael  Angelo  of  Spain. 
He  was  court-painter  to  Philip  the  Fourth.  'He  had 
an  ungovernable  temper,  and  at  one  time  was  put 
upon  the  rack,  on  suspicion  of  having  killed  his  wife 
in  a  fit  of  jealousy ;  but  he  was  absolved  from  the 
charge.  His  right  arm,  however,  was  exempted 
from  the  torture,  on  account  of  his  excellence  in  his 
art.  Mr.  Jenkins  said,  also,  that  '  he  refused,  when 
dyijig,  to  take  the  crucifix  from  the  priest,  on  account 
of  its  bad  workmanship.' 

"  The  other  painting  was  by  Murillo,  who  was 
born  in  Seville  about  eighteen  years  after  Cano,  and 
who  died  there  about  1682.  A  short  time  before 
his  death,  he  went  to  Cadiz  to  paint  the  espousals 
of  St.  Catharine,  over  the  altar  in  the  Capuchin 
church  in  that  city ;  and  while  engaged  on  the 
work,  he  fell  from  the  scaffolding,  and  the  wound 
proved  fatal.  He  was  buried  in  the  church  of  Santa 


30  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

Cruz,  in  Seville,  before  a  picture  of  the  '  Descent 
from  the  Cross,'  by  Campana,  which  he  had  greatly 
admired  in  his  life. 

"  There  was  an  exquisite  Madonna  of  Raphael's, 
a  painting  of  Vouct,  —  a  celebrated  French  artist, — 
beside  many  smaller  works  of  some  of  the  masters. 
These  hung  in  the  drawing-room. 

"The  library  adjoining  was  hung  with  pictures  by 
other  artists,  among  which  were  paintings  by  Copley, 
Turner,  Fielding,  and  others  of  renown  ;  and  last, 
though  not  least,  one  of  Bierstadt's  elegant  pictures. 

"  Beside  the  paintings,  there  were  curiosities  of 
every  description  ;  but  before  I  had  time  to  examine 
one-half  of  them,  Laura  returned.  She  was  dressed 
in  the  sweetest  dress  of  white  muslin,  without  a 
jewel  about  her;  a  few  exquisite  camelias  only  in 
her  hair,  and  a  tea-rose  in  place  of  a  brooch  ! 

"  The  rooms  were  filled  with  the  fragrance  of 
flowers,  which  were  scattered  around  in  the  greatest 
profusion. 

"  Laura's  mother  soon  followed  her,  and  is  really 
an  elegant  woman.  She  has  a  dark,  rich,  olive  com- 
plexion, with  the  blackest  eyes  and  hair.  She  wore 
a  dress  of  black  satin,  tastily  trimmed  with  lace,  and 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  31 

the  longest  train  I  have  seen  this  season.  She  is  so 
tall  and  noble  looking,  that  altogether  she  was  my 
beau  ideal  of  elegance,  in  every  sense  of  the  word. 
..  "  Shortly  after,  the  other  guests  began  to  arrive. 
Many  of  them  I  knew  by  name,  but  a  few  only 
whom  I  had  ever  met  before.  They  appeared,  how- 
ever, quite  as  much  at  ease  as  they  do  in  our  own 
circles ;  and,  between  us,  Kate,"  said  Minnie,  "  I 
think  there  is  a  great  deal  of  humbug  about  our 
being  the  elite  !  To  be  sure  there  are  some  among 
us  who  act  as  if  they  really  believe  they  are  made 
of  better  flesh  and  blood  than  men  at  large,  but 
I  am  beginning  to  be  enlightened  in  this  respect." 

"What  of  the  supper?"  asked  I. 

"  The  table  looked  superbly,"  replied  Minnie. 
"  Solid  silver,  cut  glass,  and  the  most  exquisite  china 
adorned  it,  interspersed  with  the  most  fragrant  and 
magnificent  pyramids  of  flowers  that  I  have  ever 
seen.  There  was  the  greatest  profusion  of  niceties 
and  delicacies,  of  every  name  and  kind,  the  whole 
under  the  direction  of  six  black  waiters  who  were 
in  attendance. 

"  I  forgot  to  tell  you,  Kate,"  said  Minnie,   "  that 


32  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

I   was  introduced  to    Laura's  brother,    who    arrived 
'from  Europe  last  week. 

"  He  is  just  through  with  his  studies, — you  know 
he  was  in  Oxford.  He  had  with  him  the  most  dis- 
tinguished looking  stranger  I  ever  saw,  and  whom 
he  introduced  as  Mr.  Vernon. 

"  Laura  told  me  afterward  that  he  had  lately  lost 
his  mother,  and  that  he  was  to  travel  from  six 
months  to  a  year  in  America.  Also  that  he  was 
engaged  to  a  young  English  lady  by  the  name  of 
Irving.  They  say  it  is  not  a  love-ma'tch,  but  he 
engaged  himself  to  her  to  please  his  mother,  who 
was  very  anxious  they  should  be  united. 

"  One  thing  I  must  confess,  to  my  shame  !  Min- 
nie mentioned  me  casually  while  talking  with  Laura, 
who  said  she  had  never  heard  of  me.  She  regretted 
it  exceedingly,  as  it  would  have  afforded  her  much 
pleasure  to  have  included  me  among  her  guests. 
Minnie  was  kind  enough  to  say  that  'although  the 
invitation  would  have  afforded  me  much  pleasure, 
it  was  doubtful  if  I  had  accepted  it,  as  my  life 
was  so  changed,  and  I  went  out  but  very  little.  I 
had  been  suddenly  transplanted  from  a  luxurious 
Southern  home,  to  a  home  in  what  I  dignified  '  the 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES. 


33 


cold,  unsympathizing  North ! '  I  suppose  the  North- 
erners will  resent  my  unwarrantable  assertion,  as  they 
will  deem  it ;  but  I  only  affirm  what  I  really  believe 
to  be  true,  when  I  say,  '  there  is  as  much  differ- 
ence in  the  characters  and  habits  of  the  inhabitants 
of  our  Southern  States  from  those  of  the  Northern 
portion,  as  in  their  climate.' 

"To-morrow I  am  to  take  tea  socially  with  Minnie. 
I  do  enjoy  it  so  much,  —  I  am  so  strongly  reminded 
of  my  own  Southern  home ;  the  attentive  colored 
waiter  anticipating,  at  the  right  moment,  your  every 
wish.  Forgive  me,  if  I  do  sigh  for  the  good  old 
days  of  yore ;  and  yet  I  believe  that  patience  is 
having  its  perfect  work,  and  that  in  patience  I  shall 
yet  possess  my  soul ! " 


34  MAN'S  WRONGS} 


V. 

TRUTH  is  stranger  than  fiction! 
To  think  that  I  should  meet  again  my  hero 
of  the  horse-car ! 

Yesterday,  about  four  o'clock,  Minnie  called  for 
me  in  her  barouche,  and  we  took  a  delightful  drive 
through  Greenwood  Cemetery. 

There  is  something  peculiarly  solemn,  and  yet 
intensely  interesting,  to  me,  in  visiting  a  cemetery, 
especially  where  everything  bears  such  unmistakable 
evidence  of  care  and  affection  for  the  loved  dust. 
It  is  one  of  my  favorite  haunts,  — 

"Far  from  the  abode  of  man  and  strife." 

As  we  drove  through  the  rustic  gateway,  and  beheld 
the  long*  aisles  of  this  great  temple,  with  its   dark 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  35 

branches  meeting  overhead,  in  arches  much  more 
graceful  than  any  formed  by  the  hand  of  man,  while 
here  and  there  rose  the  monuments  erected  to  the 
departed,  I  thought  I  had  never  seen  a  fitter  recep- 
tacle for  the  ashes  of  those  who  have  gone  before. 
The  wind  whistled  mournfully  among  the  trees,  and 
the  waters,  as  they  washed  the  shore,  sent  forth  a 
melancholy  dirge,  but  it  was  in  keeping  with  my 
feelings. 

One  of  the  first  spots  that  we  visited  was  Indian 
Mound,  on  which  is  a  monument  bearing  a  sculp- 
tured figure  of  a  mourning  Indian  warrior.  It  was 
erected  to  the  memory  of  Do-Hum-Mee.  She  was 
a  Sachem's  daughter  of  the  Sac  Indians,  who  visited 
Washington  with  her  father,  and  Who  was  married 
before  arriving  at  New  York,  to  a  young  Iowa  chief, 
who  was  of  their  party.  Shortly  after  her  mar- 
riage she  took  a  violent  cold,  which  resulted  in  her 
death  while  yet  in  New  York,  and  before  she  had 
been  married  many  days.  She  was  only  eighteen 
years  of  age,  and  her  death  occasioned  a  profound 
sensation. 

In  Locust  Avenue,  near  South wobd,  we  were  at- 
tracted by  a  singular-looking  monument,  bearing  the 


36  ATAX'S   WRONGS; 

names  of  two  ladies  by  the  name  of  Cairns ;  one, 
one  hundred  and  seventeen  years  old,  the  other,  one 
hundred  years.  Minnie  says  that  "for  a  long  time 
there  were  glass  jars  affixed  to  the  gate  and  fence- 
posts,  which  contained  a  fluid  labelled  '  Eden's  Oil,' 
but  they  were  supposed  to  have  been  stolen." 

On  Battle  Avenue  I  saw  a  monument  which  re- 
minded me  of  dear  brother  Francis,  as  it  was  to 
the  memory  of  a  school-boy,  —  "  Our  Fred"  !  What 
feelings  of  gratitude  welled  in  my  heart,  that  it  was 
not  our  Frank!  How  seldom  we  care  or  think  even 
of  the  sorrows  of  others !  My  thoughts  wandered 
back  to  the  time  when  "Our  Fred"  was  as  full  of 
buoyancy  and  hope  as  Francis  now  is,  —  and  yet 
he  had  to  lie  down  and  die,  leaving  all  the  loved 
ones  behind.  Ah !  it  is  not  the  old  who  alone  are 
taken,  and  nothing  will  so  impress  one  with  the 
vanity  of  all  things  here  below,  as  a  visit  to  a  grave- 
yard. This  monument  was  a  well-executed  figure 
of  a  school-boy. 

Near  this  was  the  imitation  of  a  tree-trunk  in 
white  marble,  leaning  against  which  was  a  cross, — 
the  whole  overspread  with  sculptured  vines  and 
flowers. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  37 

As  we  passed  along  Highland  Avenue,  at  the  base 
of  Chestnut  Hill,  we  thought  of  the  monument  to 
Miss  Canda,  and  turned  towards  Greenbough  Avenue 
to  look  upon  it. 

Miss  Canda  was  of  French  descent,  who,  returning 
from  a  party  one  evening,  was  thrown  from  her 
carriage  and  instantly  killed.  On  Battle  Avenue, 
at  its  junction  with  Greenbough,  is  a  very  magnifi- 
cent monument  of  white  marble,  in  the  form  of 
a  Gotlv'c  Chapel,  in  a  niche  of  which  is  a  statue, 
which  was  meant  as  a  likeness  of  Miss  Canda. 
Flowers  of  different  kinds  hang  in  great  profusion 
from  the  mouldings  of  the  arches. 

The  initials  "  C.  C.,"  upon  a  shield,  is  formed  of 
seventeen  rosebuds.  On  each  of  sixteen  gablets  is 
a.  bunch  of  flowers,  and  each  bunch  has  seventeen 
roses.  There  is  an  oblong  space  in  front  of  the 
statue,  which  is  surrounded  by  a  balustrade,  forming 
a  sort  of  porch  to  the  monument.  A  monumental 
slab  is  in  the  middle  of  the  space,  having  at  its  head 
an  urn,  with  books  and  instruments  of  music  and 
drawing  scattered  around  ;  while  upon  the  rose  ami 
jessamine  branches  which  adorn  the  balustrade  are 
little  birds,  of  which  the  departed  young  lady  was 


38  MAN'S    H'XONGS; 

very  fond.  Numerous  butterflies  are  scattered  around, 
—  emblems  of  the  body  released  from  the  grave  and 
ascending  to  the  skies. 

Leaving  this  sad  but  elegant  offering  to  the  de- 
parted, we  passed  on  through  Alder  Avenue,  Forest, 
and  Woodland  Avenues,  to  Woodland  Ridge,  to 
look  upon  the  grave  of  Lieutenant  Stone,  who  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg!!.  Minnie  says  he 
was  only  twenty  years  old,  and  that  he  was  univer- 
sally beloved. 

We  were  anxious  to  mount  the  summit  of  Ocean 
Hill,  but  time  would  not  allow.  Minnie  says  "from 
its  summit  you  can  see  the  villages  of  Flatbush  and 
New  Utrecht ;  also  Coney  Island,  with  the  blue  sea 
skirting  its  curving  shores."  I  wish  I  could  pass  a 
day,  rather  than  two  hours,  visiting  this  beautiful 
spot,  for  I  have  but  just  begun  to  see  its  beauties ; 
but  Minnie  assures  me  I  shall  drive  out  again  with 
her  before  many  days  have  elapsed. 

I  feel  better  for  this  visit  to  Greenwood.  I  feel 
more  keenly  than  ever  that  this  life  is  but  the  prep- 
aration for  another,  and  that  I  shall  yet  find  reason 
to  praise  God  for  the  path  through  which  lie  i* 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  39 

leading  me,  though  it  is  mostly  dark  and  dreary, 
and  I  fear  often  I  shall  faint  by  the  way. 

As  we  were  returning  from  our  drive  I  saw  two 
gentlemen  approaching,  who,  as  they  drew  near, 
raised  their  hats  to  Minnie  with  the  most  inimitable 
grace !  Before  I  could  recover  from  my  surprise, 
Minnie  ejaculated,  "Isn't  he  splendid-looking?" 

"Who?  which?"  said  I.  "Why,  Minnie,  one  of 
them  is  the  identical  gentleman  who  gave  me  his 
seat  in  the  horse-car!  Where  have  you  seen  him? 
Who  is  he?  tell  me  quick,  for  I  am  almost  beside 
myself  with  curiosity." 

"  First,  Katy  dear,  you  must  inform  me  why  you 
are  so  agitated  1  This  is  the  first  intimation  that  I 
have  ever  received,  the  quiet,  dignified  Miss  Manton 
was  interested  in  any  one ! 

"  Tell  me  his  name,  Minnie,"  I  replied,  "  and  I 
will  tell  you  all  you  wish  concerning  the  matter." 

"  The  one  nearest  the  barouche,"  replied  Minnie, 
"  was  Laura  Jenkins's  brother ;  and  the  other,  — your 
hero,  —  was  Sir  Henry  Stuart  Vernon,  the  wealthy 
barrister  from  England,  who  is  engaged  to  an  heiress, 
the  Lady  Alice  Irving,  of  noble  descent,  and  whom 
I  told  you  I  met  at  Laura's  party.  So,  Katy  dear, 


4o  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

we'll  '  hang  our  harps  on  the  willow-tree,'  as  far  as 
he  is  concerned  !  " 

Ah !  how  little  Minnie  knew  how  my  poor  heart 
went  down,  down,  till  I  felt  almost  miserable. 

I  then  told  Minnie  the  incident  as  I  confided  it 
to  you,  dear  Diary !  How  was  I  startled  to  hear 
her  reply ! 

"  Why,  Kate  Manton  !  Have  you  lived  in  New 
York  a  year,  and  not  yet  discovered  that  it  is  a  very 
rare  occurrence  for  a  gentleman  or  lady  to  ride  in 
a  horse-car?  They  patronize  the  omnibus  almost 
entirely,  and  the  gentlemen  are  noted  for  their  great 
politeness  to  all  who  use  this  mode  of  conveyance. 
How  Sir  Henry  came  in  a  horse-car  is  the  first 
mystery,  and  how  you  came  there  yourself  is  the 
second ! " 

*'  For  Sir  Henry,  I  cannot  answer ;  but  for  myself," 
replied  I,  "  I  am  so  exhausted  after  giving  my 
drawing-lessons,  I  am  very  glad  to  go  home  in  the 
way  which  requires  the  least  effort,  and  I  must  admit 
I  vastly  prefer  the  horse-car.  They  are  patronized 
by  people  of  the  highest  respectability  in  other 
places." 

"  Very  true,"  replied  Minnie,  "  and  are  used  here, 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  41 

if  necessity  require.  There  is  no  disgrace  in  riding 
in  them  during  the  day,  but  they  arc  very  undesirable 
in  the  evening." 

"Why,  Kate!  what  is  the  matter?  You  surely 
cannot  have  lost  your  heart,  for  you  have  not  had 
so  much  as  an  introduction  to  Sir  Henry." 

I  did  not  answer,  although  I  felt  that  it  was  not 
at  all  necessary  to  be  introduced  to  a  gentleman 
before  you  can  fall  in  love  with  him  ! 

"For  my  own  part,"  continued  Minnie,  "I  am 
much  more  inclined  to  be  fascinated  with  Arthur 
Jenkins.  I  think  he  is  superb!" 

"  Yes !  and  after  you  are  married  you  can  have  a 
carriage  with  the  insignia  of  a  fish  ! " 

"  Kate  Manton,"  said  Minnie,  "  how  bitter  you 
are!  What  is  the  matter  with  you?" 

This  speech  recalled  my  wandering  thoughts.  I 
assumed  an  air  of  easy  nonchalance ;  bantered  Minnie 
about  Arthur,  and  laughed  to  scorn  the  idea  of  my 
—  poor,  insignificant,  crest-fallen  girl  that  I  am  — 
of  my  lifting  my  thoughts  for  a  moment  to  Sir  Henry 
Stuart  Vernon.  Miserable  deception !  My  heart 
was  sick,  though,  and  I  could  not  prevent  it. 

No  one  but  myself  knew,  and  no  one  else  should 


42  MAX'S   WRONGS; 


know,  how  that  one  admiring,  sympathizing 
glance  which  he  bestowed  on  me  in  the  car,  sank 
into  my  soul.  How  eagerly  I  tried  to  extract  com- 
fort from  the  thought  that  even  if  he  was  engaged, 
it  was  only  to  please  his  mother! 

Soon  after  our  arrival  home,  tea  was  announced  ; 
and,  as  soon  as  we  had  supped,  we  hastened  to 
Minnie's  room,  to  prink  a  little,  in  case  we  should 
Le  favored  with  calls  in  the  evening. 

Minnie  declared  "  she  had  a  presentiment  that 
the  two  strangers  would  call." 

I  insisted  upon  it  that  she  should  give  me  some 
reason  f^r  so  thinking  ;  but  she  positively  declared 
"  that  notl./'ng,  save  an  indescribable  secret  feeling, 
occasioned  the  remark." 

"  They  will  /lot  see  me,  if  they  do  call,"  replied 
I,  "for  they  will  have  to  become  acquainted  with 
my  present  posrtion  !  " 

"  You  are  a  perfect  mystery  to  me,  Kate,"  said 
Minnie. 

"  Suppose  you  are  in  depressed  circumstances, 
you  are  a  lady  !  I  have  heard  my  father  say,  again 
and  again,  that  wealth  is  no  criterion  in  the  mind 
of  a  true  gentleman.  He  who  would  barter  himself 


on 

E 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  43 

for  wealth  is  not  a.  gentleman.  There  could  be  no 
greater  insult  than  for  a  man  to  win  the  affection  of 
a  woman,  simply  that  he  may  aggrandize  himself. 
I  don't  believe  it  possible  for  a  genuine  gentleman  to 
be  selfish! 

"No,  Kate;  in  this  respect  I  think  man  is  oft- 
times  wronged.  Man  is  of  a  nobler,  stronger  nature 
than  woman.  He  is  free  from  her  foibles,  her 
weakness.  He  feels  that  he  is  a  man!  He  stands 
on  his  own  foundation.  He  cares  not  for  Mrs.  D 

Mrs.  L's  opinion  ;  he  acts  according  to  the  dic- 
tes  of  his  own  better  judgment.  A  true  gentleman 
cannot  be  a  snob.  Whenever  I  meet  one  of  these 
deluded  mortals,  I  always  think  I  should  like  to 
shut  him  up  in  a  farm-yard  with  a  dozen  peacocks, 
and  oblige  him  to  parade  himself  every  day  to  the 
admiring  crowd,  till  he  came  to  his  senses. 

"  I  think  if  God  has  been  pleased  to  bless  one 
man  with  more  of  this  world's  goods  than  He  has 
another,  it  is  the  very  best  reason  why  he  can  afford 
to  be  generous  ;  and  he  ivill  be  so,  if  left  to  him- 
self,—  if  no  woman  insinuates  that  he  should  not 
extend  the  hand  of  fellowship  with  Mr.  G,  simply 


44  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

because  he  counts  his  dollars  by  hundreds  rather 
than  thousands." 

"  Speaking  of  gentlemen,  Minnie,"  said  I,  "  re- 
minds me  of  grandpa.  Notwithstanding  he  is  so 
highly  educated,  and  of  such  high  social  position, 
he  always  takes  the  greatest  pains  to  notice  the  poor, 
if  they  are  educated  and  of  modest  demeanor. 

"  Of  course  he  keeps  aloof  from  those  persons 
whose  conVerse  and  bearing  betoken  vulgarity. 
There  is  so  great  a  want  of  congeniality  with 
such,  that  he  cannot  be  blamed.  If,  however,  he  is 
thrown  in  the  path  of  this  class,  he  treats  them  with 
such  marked  politeness  as  ever  to  elicit  the  remark, 
'He  is  every  inch  a  gentleman!' 

"  Now  between  us,  Minnie,  I  think  all  this  would 
sound  very  well  on  paper ;  but  when  it  comes  to 
the  actual  demonstration  of  such  feeling,  I  plead 
guilty  ! 

"  I  cannot  help  feeling  that  I  am  a  little  better 
than  some  who  live  on  Fifth  Avenue,  even  though 
they  may  be  possessed  of  ten  times  our  wealth.  I 
know  it  is  preposterous,  but  still  there  is  the  old 
latent  pride  in  my  heart. 

"  I    struggle   against   it    day    by    day,    and   am    no 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  45 

nearer  rising  above  it  than  when  I  commenced  the 
attempt ;  and  yet,  if  I  know  my  own  heart,  it  is 
mv  very  humiliated  position  that  rouses  such  feelings; 
perhaps  you  will  say,  that  reveals  my  true  self. 

"  I  believe  if  I  should  ever  again  be  placed  in  my 
former  position,  I  should  delight  to  'condescend  to 
men  of  low  estate  ! ' ' 

"  Well,  Kate,  it  appears  that  we  are  sadly  wan- 
dering from  our  mark,  and  not  enlightening  each 
other  much  on  what  constitutes  a  gentleman !  To 
return  from  our  starting-point:  you  do  not  wish  to 
meet  a  gentleman  simply  because  he  is  rich  and  you 
are  poor.  I  think  it  is  an  absurd  idea.  Any  man 
whose  acquaintance  is  worth  cultivating,  will  esteem 
you  for  yourself.  You  think  that  if  Sir  Henry 
should  discover  that  you  are  poor,  he  will  not  care 
about  placing  you  on  his  list  of  friends,  and  that 
if  he  has  a  penchant  for  you,  the  discovery  of  your 
poverty  would  turn  the  current  of  his  feelings  at 
once.  I  don't  agree  with  you  ! 

"I  believe,  Kate,  in  love.  I  do  not  believe  in  its 
being  bought  or  sold.  There  are  scores  of  mar- 
riages, day  after  day,  without  a  particle  of  love 


46  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

between  the  parties ;  but  may  I  be  delivered  from 
such  a  marriage ! 

"  If  I  ever  marry,  the  man  that  I  wed  must  love 
me  for  myself  alone.  He  must  be  as  happy  to  wed 
me  if  a  pauper,  as  though  I  were  an  heiress.  Then, 
should  we  meet  with  reverses,  which  you  know  at 
this  time  are  an  every-day  occurrence,  we  shall  still 
be  happy  in  one  another.  No  sacrifice  would  be 
too  great  for  me  to  make  for  the  one  I  love,  if  I  am 
assured  that  my  love  meets  an  equal  return." 

"  Yes,  Minnie,"  said  I,  "  this  is  all  true,  and  meets 
my  views  entirely  ;  but  how  are  you  going  to  ascertain 
that  you  are  loved  for  yourself  alone?  Your  father  is 
a  millionaire,  and  you  have  the  advantage  not  only 
of  wealth,  but  beauty  and  grace  combined.  Of 
course  Miss  Minnie  Maverick  is  one  of  the  belles, 
and  as  such  can  bring  almost  any  one  she  may 
desire  to  her  feet." 

"  She  has  no  desire  for  the  worship  of  the  many, 
Katy  dear,"  replied  Minnie. 

"  That  is  true,"  said  I ;  "no  one  will  ever  accuse 
you  of  being  a  flirt,  Minnie,  any  more  than  myself. 
Simply  a  flirtation  I  does  not  heal  the  wounded 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  47 

heart.     Love,  in   my  estimation,  is  a  matter  of   too 
much  moment  for  trifling." 

"  Candidly,  Kate,"  said  Minnie,  "  I  have  never, 
among  all  my  many  acquaintances,  met  with  but  one 
gentleman  whom  I  think  I  could  intrust  with  the 
keeping  of  my  happiness !  " 

"  Xor  I  either,"  replied  I,  quickly. 

"  Ah,  Kate,  be  careful,  my  dear  friend,  and  don't 
give  your  heart  to  one  that  can  never  be  anything 
to  you  but  a  friend.  I  wish  so  much  it  could  be. 
I  warn  you  only  because  I  love  you  so  well,  and  I 
could  not  bear  to  see  you  miserable." 

"  I  shall  not  be  miserable,  Minnie.  My  lot  in 
life  will  be  one  of  single  blessedness.  In  fact  I 
have  never  seen  but  the  one  being  that  I  could  pos- 
sibly fancy ;  and  I  have  common  sense,  so  do  not  be 
uneasy  about  me,  Minnie  dear. 

"  Now  there  are  pa  and  ma !  No  one  could 
doubt  for  a  moment  but  theirs  was  a  marriage  of 
true  love.  The  wealth  was  on  ma's  side.  Pa  was 
rich  in  everything  but  gold,  but  no  one  could  say 
he  married  ma  for  her  lands !  It  was  pure,  perfect 
love  between  them,  as  time  has  fully  proved. 

"Think,  Minnie,  what  a  change  for  ma,  —  reared 


48  MAX'S   WRONGS; 

in  affluence,,  and  now  being  obliged  to  turn  over  a 
five-cent  postal  two  or  three  times  before  she  can 
decide  to  spend  it ;  and  yet  no  sacrifice  is  too  great 
for  her  to  make  for  pa,  if  she  can  only  conduce  to 
his  comfort.  She  does  everything  in  such  a  quiet, 
unostentatious  manner,  anxious  only  that  he  should 
not  discover  the  sacrifice  ! 

"  It  does  seem  as  though  some  women  perfectly 
admire  to  make  a  heroine  of  themselves  in  their 
husbands'  eyes !  See  what  a  sacrifice  I  am  making 
for  you  !  Sec  how  hard  I  work  to  give  you  a  neat, 
comfortable  home !  Such  a  meek  look  of  quiet 
forbearance. 

"For  my  own  part,  I  should  rather  make  an 
open  parade  of  it  at  once,  and  say  to  my  husband, 
'  I've  sacrificed  so  much,  I  have  worked  so  long, 
and  so  hard,  just  for  you  ;  and  now  what  have  you 
got  to  say  for  yourself  by  way  of  thanks  ? ' 

"  I  should  like  to  ask  such  wives  what  their  hus- 
bands are  doing  in  the  way  of  work  and  sacrifice 
for  them? 

"  Not  one  wife  in  twenty  knows  the  mental  care 
and  anxiety  with  which  almost  every  husband  and 
father  returns  to  his  own  fireside  at  night.  These 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  49 

cares  he  leaves  at  the  outer  door,  so  that  he  may 
not  add  a  single  drawback  to  the  happiness  of  his 
ittle  /amily.  I  must  say  that  I  do  not  wonder  the 
Bible  makes  man  the  nobler  being,  for  I  think,  if 
you  take  him  as  a  whole,  he  is,  and  I  am  willing 
to  admit  it. 

"  As  to  pa  and  ma,  I  never  knew  them  to  have 
a  difference  but  once,  and  that  was  last  voting-day. 

"  You  know  ma  was  born  in  Milledgeville ;  but 
pa  was  born  in  Lenox,  Massachusetts,  and  always 
lived  North  till  after  he  graduated  ;  then  he  came  to 
Milledgeville  to  practise  law,  and  there  he  fell  in 
love  with  my  darling  ma !  Of  course  they  were 
both  strong  Union  in  their  politics,  but  ma  was  rather 
more  conservative  than  pa.  She  favored  Seymour's 
being  President.  She  was  ever  talking  about  his 
being  such  a  noble  specimen  of  a  Christian  man ; 
and  though  pa  did  not  perfectly  agree  with  her,  yet 
he  never  contradicted  her,  or  made  any  remark  to 
irritate  her. 

"  When   the  morning  of  voting-day  arrived,  uncle 

Francis  looked   in  while  we  were  at  breakfast,  and 

asked   pa  to  be  at  the  polls  in  good  season,  adding, 

'  Of  course  you'll  vote  for  the  General'     Pa  made 

4 


50  J/.LVN    U'lfONGS; 

no  reply  ;  but,  with  a  look  of  recognition,  went  on 
eating    his   breakfast. 

Vs  soon  as  uncle  Frank  closed  the  door,  ma 
said,  in  a  very  excited  manner,  '  Charles  Manton,  if 
you  vote  for  Ulysses  Grant,  there'll  be  war  in  the 
house !  I  had  much  rather  you  would  not  vote  at 
all,  than  throw  away  your  vote  in  this  manner.' 

"  Pa  waited  a  moment  before  speaking,  and  then 
said,  '  Mary,  do  you  think  your  husband  competent 
to  judge  and  act  for  himself,  or  do  you  wish  to 
take  his  place?  Be  careful,  dear,  and  don't  let  the 
first  word  of  bitterness  that  ever  came  between  us 
be  on  account  of  politics! 

"'Charles,'  she  soberly  replied,  'I  do  love  you, 
and  I  believe  in  your  good  sense  and  judgment ; 
but  if  you  only  could  vote  for  the  noble  Seymour, 
I  should  be  so  happy !  I  never  did  believe  in  a 
military  man  for  a  statesman!  I  suppose  I  must 
endure  it,  however.  Oh,  Charles,  if  women  only 
could  have  their  rights  ! ' 

"  '  Yes,  darling,  and  you  shall  have  yours  this 
moment;'  and  with  these  words  he  caught  ma,  and 
giving  her  a  good  kiss  on  each  cheek,  said,  4  These 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  51 

are  woman's  rights,  and  they  are  all  she  ought  to 
desire  ! ' 

'•  Ma  laughed,  and  said  that  was  one  way  to  get 
over  a  wrong,  and  as  long  as  pa  was  so  true  to  her, 
she  would  try  and  be  contented  to  let  him  adopt 
his  own  views  as  to  being  true  to  his  country." 

\\\-ll,"  said  Minnie,  "  my  father  is  down  on 
'  Womans'  Rights.'  lie  says  that  when  the  day 
arrives  for  women  to  go  to  the  polls,  there  will  be 
no  such  thing  as  a  home  for  a  man.  He  says  Satan 
is  trying  to  deceive  the  poor  women,  and  make 
them  feel  that  they  are  humiliated  and  wronged 
because  they  cannot  cast  their  vote  ;  but  if  the  day 
shall  ever  arrive  when  their  object  is  attained,  he 
will  then  show  the  cloven  foot,  and  there  will  be 
nothing  but  families  at  variance  among  themselves  !  " 

Dear  me !  there's  the  dinner-bell,  and  I  haven't 
written  half  that  I  wish  ;  and  as  I  must  attend  to 
my  drawing-scholars  this  afternoon,  I  must  wait 
till  this  evening  to  finish  my  account  of  my  visit  to 
Minnie's. 


MAX'S   U'JfONGS; 


VI. 

AND  now,  before  I  am  interrupted,  let  me 
finish  the  account  of  my  visit  to  Minnie's. 

As  soon  as  we  had  beautified  ourselves, — we 
did  powder  just  one  little  bit,  though  I  must  confess 
I  feel  a  little  cheap  when  I  think  of  it,  —  we  re- 
turned to  the  parlor.  Just  imagine  a  young  lady 
receiving  her  first  kiss,  and  finding  the  powder  had 
gone  from  her  forehead  and  remained  on  the  gen- 
tleman's lips ! 

They  say  that  the  forehead  is  the  place  for  the 
first  stolen  kiss;  although  as  I  have  yet  had  no  ex- 
perience in  such  matters,  I  cannot  answer  for  the 
truth  of  it!  I'm  sure,  in  such  a  case,  I  shouldn't 
blame  the  gentleman  if  it  was  not  only  the  first,  but 
the  last  kiss  also  ! 

Grandpa  says  "  all  who  use  powder  arc  deluded  ! 
Their  charms  may  be  heightened,  but  once  pow- 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  53 

dering  is  always  powdering,  and  that,  after  its  use 

• 

for  a  time,  the  complexion  without  it  is  dreadful ; 
and  then,  if  man  finds  that  the  charms  which  at- 
tracted him  are  false,  he  will  be  very  apt  to  turn 
away  from  the  deceiver  in  disgust." 

Well!  this  is  my  first  time,  and  I  mean  it  shall 
be  the  last,  though  I  may  not  be  so  fair  to  look 
upon. 

My  weakness  was  that  I  wanted  to  look  radiant 
in  the  eyes  of  Sir  Henry  Vernon,  in  case  Minnie's 
presentiment  should  prove  true.  Weakness,  indeed  ! 
wickedness,  I  should  say,  that  I  should  desire  for 
a  moment  to  turn  him  from  his  allegiance  to  the 
Lady  Alice  Irving.  How  supremely  ridiculous  for 
me  to  allow  myself  to  think  of  him  for  a  moment ! 
Sir  Henry  Vernon  is  as  far  from  my  reach,  as  the 
North  from  the  South  Pole. 

We  had  scarcely  reentered  the  parlor  when  the 
door-bell  rang. 

"Presentiment!"  said  Minnie,  while  the  fun 
danced  in  her  eyes. 

The  3oor  was  thrown  open,  and  the  footman  an- 
nounced Sir  Henry  Vernon  and  Mr.  Jenkins.  After 
the  usual  form  and  ceremonies  of  introduction  had 


54 

passed,  and  the  ordinary  topics  of  the  day  had  been 
discussed,  Sir  Henry  asked  Minnie  if  she  sang. 

••  I  do  not,"  replied  Minnie  ;  "•  playing  only  is  my 
forte.  My  friend  Mi>s  Manton  sings." 

••  \Yliy,  Minnie  !  how  can  you?"  said  I. 

"  Will  you  not  favor  us,  Miss  Manton?"  said  Sir 
Henry. 

Remembering  my  father's  advice,  that  when  a 
young  lady  was  asked  to  play  or  sing  it  was  not 
that  she  was  expected  to  astonish  her  friends,  but 
simply  to  gratify  them  as  far  as  she  -was  able,  and 
how  much  more  she  would  raise  herself  in  the  esti- 
mation of  all  by  simply  expressing  her  willingness 
to  thus  gratify  them,  rather  than  to  waste,  as  some 
young  ladies  are  in  the  habit  of  doing,  many  minutes 
with  sundry  'excuses,  and  yet  meaning  at  the  same 
time  to  display  their  powers  in  the  end.  —  (''  This,"  he 
said,  "was  simply  vanity,  —  that  it  took  away  one- 
half  the  charm  of  the  music,  and  made  the  hearer 
much  more  inclined  to  criticise  the  performance. 
Not  that  he  approved  of  flying  to  the  piano  the  mo- 
ment one  was  invited  to  play,  and  then  monopolizing 
it  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  musicians,  as  it  is  the 
wont  of  some  to  do,  but  that  there  is  a  happy  me- 


OR,     WOMAN'S   FOIBLES.  55 

dium  between  the  two  that  a  sensible  person  -will 
discover,  and  know  how  to  conduct  under  all  cir- 
cumstances,") I  replied  to  Sir  Henry  that  "  I  sang 
a  few  simple  ballads  to  gratify  my  own  immediate 
friends,  but  as  my  style  was  simple,  and  I  may  say 
uncultivated,  it  would  not  be  likely  to  please  in 
general." 

"  There  are  times  when  simplicity  of  performance 
is  more  gratifying,  and  in  accordance  with  the  feel- 
ings of  the  listener,  even   if  his  taste  is  highly  cul- 
tivated, than  a  more  elaborate  style  ; "  and  with  these 
words  he  rose,  and  coming  towards  me,  remarked, — 
*'  I  feel  you  will  gratify  us,  Miss  Manton  ! " 
Of  course  I  could  not  refuse,    and,   accepting   his 
proffered  arm,  he  conducted  me  to  the  piano. 

After  playing  a  short  prelude,  I  sang  "Highland 
Mary,"  —  one  of  Burns's  sweet  little  songs.  Sir 
Henry  said  that  "it  was  very  interesting  to  remember 
the  circumstances  under  which  it  was  composed. 
'  Highland  Mary '  was  Mary  Campbell,  who  was 
the  daughter  of  a  mariner  residing  in  Greenock. 
She  became  acquainted  with  Burns  while  on  service 
at  the  Castle  of  Montgomery,  where  they  plighted 
their  mutual  faith  bv  the  exchange  of  Bibles."  He 


56  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

said  "  that  they  stood  with  a  running  stream  be- 
tween them,  and,  lifting  up  the  water  in  their  hands, 
vowed  love  while  woods  grew  and  waters  ran.  The 
Bible  which  the  poet  gave  was  elegantly  bound. 
'Ye  shall  not  swear  by  my  name  falsely,"  was 
written  in  it  by  Burns,  and  underneath  the  verse  his 
own  name,  and  mark  as  a  Freemason.  Mary  Camp- 
bell died,  however,  of  a  fever,  and  they  parted  to 
meet  no  more." 

Sir  Henry  said,  also,  "  that  he  had  seen  the  iden- 
tical Bible,  which  was  in  the  keeping  of  her  rela- 
tions, and  also  a  lock  of  her  hair."  lie  said,  also, 
that  "  he  scarcely  knew  which  piece  he  preferred ; 
the  '  Highland  Mary,'  or  the  '  Ode  to  Mary  in 
Heaven,'  commencing,  — 

'Thou  ling'ring  star,  with  less'ning  ray.' 

This  last  was  written  on  the  anniversary  of  '  High- 
land Mary's'  death." 

I  then  sang  the  sweet  little  piece, — 

"Oh  Mary,  go  and  call  the  cattle  home!" 

which  elicited  much  admiration. 

"Vernon,"  said  Mr.  Jenkins,  "will  you  and  Miss 


I 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  57 

Manton  sing,  for  my  especial  benefit,  the  duct,  '  See 
the  pale  moon'?  I  think  it  a  perfect  little  gem." 

After  a  moment's  hesitation,  Sir  Henry  replied, 
"  I  am  out  of  practice  entirely ;  still,  if  Miss  Manton 
will  permit  me  to  accompany  her,  I  shall  be  very 
happy  to  make  the  attempt." 

\Yhile  we  were  searching  for  the  notes  he  said, 
in  a  low  tone,  "  Miss  Manton,  have  I  not  had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  you  before?" 

I  hesitated. 

"In  the  horse-car?"  he  asked. 

I  nodded  assent.     He  said  nothing  more,  but  such 

4 

a  look  of  admiration  and  respect  as  he  gave  me  I 
shall  never  forget ;  and  yet  it  isn't  ten  minutes  since 
I  declared  that  I  would  never  think  of  him  again, 
but  would  banish  his  image  every  time  it  came  un- 
bidden to  my  mind ;  but  I  must  think  of  him  a 
moment,  just  while  I  write  these  events  in  my  Diary. 
After  we  sang  the  duct  I  arose,  and,  leaving  the 
piano,  Sir  Henry  conducted  me  to  my  seat,  and, 
taking  a  chair  near  me,  we  prepared  to  listen  to 
Minnie,  who  had  just  consented  to  favor  Mr.  Jenkins 
with  a  suite,  in  C  sharp  minor,  of  William  Sterndale 
Bennett's. 


58  AfAWS   Jl'JtOXGS; 

Sir  Henry  said  that  "  he  was  proud  to  acknowl- 
edge Bennett  as  an  Englishman,  although  he  must 
admit  that  he  owed  a  great  deal  of  the  beauty  and 
grace  of  his  style  to  his  great  intimacy  with  Men- 
delssohn, with  whom  he  was  very  intimate,  and  at 
whose  invitation  he  visited  Leipsic,  where  he  brought 
out  some  of  his  works,  which  were  received  with 
such  favor  that  he  was  induced  to  make  Germany 
his  home  for  many  years." 

Minnie  also  played,  in  a  very  sprightly  manner, 
a  scherzo  by  Chopin. 

I  delight  in  the  wild,  soul-stirring  harmonies  of 
Chopin !  One  imagines  himself  in  Poland,  when 
listening  to  the  weird  strains.- 

That  Chopin  was  a  genius,  rare  and  gifted,  no  one 
will  pretend  to  deny.  One  cannot  weary  of  listen- 
ing to  his  varied  productions,  for  even  his  waltzes 
and  impromptus,  simple  though  they  be,  pour  forth 
a  flood  of  melody.  Although  there  is  such  a  wide 
difference  in  the  style  of  these  two  composers,  yet 
both  are  irresistible ! 

After  the  music  had  ceased,  and  a  few  moments 
of  general  conversation  had  ensued,  the  gentlemen, 
assuring  us  how  much  our  music  had  contributed  to 


Off,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  59 

the  pleasure  of  their  call,  and  expressing  the  hope 
that  thev  should  soon  meet  us  again,  bade  us  good- 
evening,  and  withdrew. 

For  a  minute  Minnie  looked  at  me,  and  I  looked 
at  Minnie. 

"What   do   you    think   of  presentiments,   Kate?" 
said    she. 

"  That  they  come  true  sometimes,"  said  I,  "  though 
not  always." 

"  Isn't  Jenkins   magnificent?"    said   Minnie. 

'•lie    is    certainly    very   line-looking,"    said    I. 

'•  Why  don't   you  own  up,  Kate,  and  say  not  half 
so  good-looking  as  Vernon  ?  " 

"  Because  I  do   not  wish   to,"  I  replied. 

"Why,    Kate   Manton !    I    do    believe    you've    lost 
your   heart,"    said    Minnie. 

"  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  you  have  lost 
yours  to  Jenkins,"  I  replied.  "  or  you  would  not 
.think  of  mentioning  him  in  the  same  breath  with 
Sir  Henry.  You  know  love  is  blind !  But,  Minnie, 
i  love  me,  do  not  quiz  me  about  Mr.  Vernon  ; 
for  if  you  do,  I  shall  Teel  so  conscious  when  I  meet 
him,  he  will  divine  my  secret,  and  then  I  should  be 
miserable  indeed." 


60  AfAWS 

\'o,  Katie  clear,  you  are  too  good  to  be  annoyed, 
and  I  will  promise  you  that  I  will  say  no  more  about 
his  honor  Sir  Henry  Stunrt  Vcrnon,  save  as  a  pass- 
ing acquaintance  and  friend.  There  is  no  doubt  we 
shall  be  thrown  in  his  way  often,"  said  Minnie, 
"  for  of  course  there  will  be  any  number  of  parties 
given  on  his  account.  Each  will  vie  with  the  other 
as  to  who  shall  show  him  the  greatest  attention. 
You  know  that  it  is  not  often  that  we  are  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  have  an  English  nobleman  at  our  parties." 

'•Yes,  and   I   have  just  thought,"   I  replied,  "that 
he  will   remember  not  seeing  me  at  Laura  Jen;, 
party,   and    he  will   ask  Arthur  the  reason,  and,  of 
course,  the  history  of  our  poverty  will  follow.      So 
here   ends   my   acquaintance   with   Sir    Henry!" 

"Nonsense!"  said  Minnie.  "If  there  is  anything 
to  be  judged  by  the  looks  of  a  person,  Sir  Henry 
will  not  slight  a  girl  simply  because  she  is  poor. 
I  should  judge  that  he  thinks  there  are  other  treas- 
ures in  the  world  beside  money." 

"Perhaps  so,"  I  replied;  "  but  you  know,  Minnie, 
that  I  shall  probably  not  be  thrown  in  his  way 
again.  I  may  be  invited  to  some  of  the  parties ; 
but  of  course  I  cannot  attend  more  than  two,  if 


OR,  irav.i.vs  FOIBLES.  61 

any.  You  know  pa  will  not  permit  me  to  wear 
any  of  my  party-dresses  that  I  wore  in  my  Southern 
home ! 

"  It  seems  hard,  sometimes,  when  I  think  of  the 
elegant  silks  and  satins,  with  all  the  other  append- 
ages to  a  lady's  toilette,  that  are  packed  away,  doing 
no  one  any  service.  Pa  says  if  I  wore  them  it 
would  be  a  species  of  deception  ;  and  you  know  he 
is  above  every  such  meanness. 

"  Ma  says  that  one  of  these  days,  when  the  affairs 
of  the  country  are  settled,  that  grandpa  will  send  for 
me  to  visit  him  in  England,  and  then  I  may  find 
them  very  useful.  Grandpa  said,  in  his  last  letter, 
that  the  clouds  were  breaking,  and  that,  if  we  did 
not  have  trouble  on  the  Alabama  question,  he 
thought  we  may  yet  recover  some  of  our  property 
that  was  confiscated. 

"  As  to  the  parties,  my  one  poor  muslin  must 
answer  to  appear  in  twice,  and  that  will  end  my 
dissipation  !  " 

"  And  why  not  three  times?  "  asked  Minnie. 
"You  can  vary  it  by  using  trimmings  of  a  different 
color  and  style  each  time." 

'•Minnie,  you  know  too  well   that  there  will   be 


1VKOXGS; 

some  who  will  sneer,  e'en  though  I  wear  the  dress 
for  a  second  time  only ! " 

"  I  do  think,"  answered  Minnie,  "  that  this  is  one 
of  the  crying  evils  of  the  clay. 

"The  useless  expenditure,  the  waste,  not  only  of 
time,  but  of  material,  in  adorning  our  poor  frail 
bodies,  —  and  for  what?  Surely  not  to  gain  the 
respect  of  men,  but  to  gratify  pride,  —  one  of  the 
seven  things  that  the  Lord  doth  hate ;  to  foster 
vanity  and  self-sufficiency!  I  know  that  it  is  con- 
sidered almost  an  insult  for  a  lady  to  appear  at  a 
party  clad  in  a  dress  in  which  she  has  previously 
appeared. 

"  How  many  husbands  and  fathers  have  been 
ruined  by  this  extravagant,  foolish  custom !  No 
wonder  so  many  desirable  young  men  shrink  from 
the  thought  of  matrimony,  when  they  consider  what 
it  costs  to  support  a  family  in  dress  alone.  Is  it  not 
time  for  some  lady  of  undoubted  social  position  to 
introduce  reform  in  this  respect? 

"  I  read  in  last  evening's  paper  that  some  Euro- 
pean princess  was  about  to  introduce  the  fashion 
of  appearing  in  plain,  unornamented  dress,  at  parties 
and  assemblies.  But  it  is  a  shame  for  us,  who  take 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  63 

the  lead  in  other  great  works,  to  allow  ourselves  to 
live  on  in  vanity  and  useless  extravagance,  till  our 
European  sisters  initiate  the  move,  and  by  follow- 
ing which  we  shall  admit  their  superiority !  It  is 
of  no  use  for  the  women  of  America  to  clamor  for 
their  rights,  until  they  have  strength  of  mind  enough 
to  do  right,  independent  of  the  world  at  large.  I, 
for  one,  shall  rue  the  day  when  woman,  with  her 
weak  and  frivolous  notions,  is  admitted  to  the  bal- 
lot. I  should  say,  in  the  words  of  our  good  Litany, 
'  From  all  such  evil,  good  Lord,  deliver  us ! ' ' 

"  I  don't  think  you  are  very  complimentary  to 
your  sex,  Minnie,"  said  I. 

"  Ah,  Kate,  you  well  know  that  my  remarks 
are  just.  There  are  many  good,  noble,  Christian 
women  in  our  land  ;  but  you  could  not  find  a  single 
one  in  the  number  who  would  go  to  the  polls,  if 
they  were  allowed  the  privilege  (I). 

"  It  is  only  poor,  vain,  conceited,  weak-minded 
women,  who  writhe  under  the  thought  that  man  is 
placed  by  God  over  them.  They  are  not  willing 
to  listen  to  anything  against,  what  they  consider, 
their  rights;  but,  in  the  very  face  of  Holy  \Viit, 
which  expressly  declares  man  to  be  the  head  of 


6.J  MAX'S    WRONGS; 


,  she  insists  on  being  his  equal!  If  she 
cannot  gain  her  end  in  any  other  "way,  she  will  call 
in  the  aid  of  Satan,  and,  at  last,  if  the  poor  men 
do  not  receive  strength  from  One  greater  than 
Satan,  they  will  be  so  harassed  and  tormented,  that, 
for  the  sake  of  ease  and  quiet,  they  will  cry,  '  Vote, 
then,  if  this  will  satisfy  you  !  '  But,  ah  !  then  it 
will  be  too  late,  when  the  die  is  cast  ;  and  ivoe  for 
our  land  when  woman  shall  decide  its  destinies! 
Yes,  a  woe  we  shall  deserve,  when  men,  for  their 
own  peace,  shall  allow  women  to  take  a  part  in  our 
public  affairs.  Let  your  women  be  chaste,  —  keepers 
at  home,  not  standing  round  the  -polls!  My  blood 
starts  at  the  thought!" 

"Why,  Minnie,"  said  I,  "I  really  believe  you 
would  make  another  Dickinson  ;  though,  judging 
from  appearances,  you  would  be  on  one  side  of 
the  hedge,  and  she  on  the  other." 

"  The  carriage  is  ready.  Miss  Manton,"  said  Sam, 
and,  promising  to  see  Minnie  at  an  early  day,  I 
bade  her  good-night,  and  soon  found  myself  in  my 
humble,  but  none  the  less  loved  home. 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  65 


VII. 

FEBRUARY  23d. 

X  TESTERDAY  was  Washington's  birthday,  and, 
•*•  as  pa  had  a  holiday,  uncle  Francis  invited 
us  all  to  visit  the  former  home  of  Irving.  Although 
the  glory  of  the  house  was  departed,  yet  a  visit  to 
the  places  once  loved  and  trod  by  one  so  universally 
beloved  and  admired  as  Washington  Irving,  was 
fraught  with  the  deepest  interest. 

There  had  been  a  slight  fall  of  snow  the  day  pre- 
vious ;  but  this  only  added  to  the  beauty  of  the 
scenery.  The  morning  was  bright  and  charming. 
We  took  the  boat  up  the  Hudson,  as  far  as  Tarry- 
town,  remarkable  for  being  the  place  where  Andre 
was  captured,  and  a  little  to  the  north  of  which  is 
"Sleepy  Hollow,"  rendered  famous  by  the  legend 
of  Irving.  We  took  a  carriage  from  this  place, 
and  drove  out  to  the  great  author's  home. 
5 


66  MAX'S   U'fiONGS; 

This  remarkable  man  was  born  in  New  York  city, 
lie  left  school  at  sixteen,  and  commenced  the  study 
of  law.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  commenced  his 
literary  career,  over  the  signature  of  "  Jonathan 
Oldstyle."  A  year  or  two  after,  being  afflicted  with 
pulmonary  complaints,  he  resolved  to  try  the  benefit 
of  a  sea  voyage,  and  a  visit  to  the  summer  climate 
of  the  south  of  Europe.  When  he  reached  Genoa, 
he  concluded  to  remain  for  some  weeks  in  the  old 
city  of  palaces. 

It  was  here  he  first  became  acquainted  with 
grandpa,  and  here  that  they  formed  that  intimacy 
which  ended  only  with  life.  How  I  love  to  hear 
grandpa  tell  about  those  days  !  No  wonder  that  he 
says  they  were  among  the  happiest  of  his  life  ! 

I  can  conceive  of  nothing  more  delightful  than  to 
visit  places  of  note  in  the  Old  World,  that  will  carry 
one  far  back  to  the  pristine  age,  with  such  a  man  . 
as  Irving  by  my  side.  Genoa  is  famed,  grandpa 
says,  for  its  palaces.  They  are  rich  in  works  of 
sculpture  and  painting,  as  are  also  the  churches 
and  chapels.  Of  these  last  there  arc  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty.  I  can  remember  the  names  only 
of  one  or  two,  —  San  Lorenzo  and  San  Mattco  ;  yes, 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  67 

and  Stcfano,  I  think.  Grandpa  says  that  the  history 
of  Genoa  may  be  traced  back,  by  tradition,  before 
the  foundation  of  Rome.  Livy  mentions  it  as  a 
town  in  friendly  relations  with  the  Romans,  and  in 
the  time  of  Strabo  it  was  an  emporium  for  the  pro- 
duce of  the  interior.  When  viewed  from  the  harbor, 
the  city,  with  its  churches,  palaces,  promenades,  and 
gardens,  the  fortifications  encircling  it,  the  Apennines, 
and  the  ice-covered  peaks  of  the  Alps  behind,  affords 
one  of  the  grandest  and  most  picturesque  sights  in 
the  world. 

After  remaining  in  Genoa  for  about  two  months, 
grandpa  and  Irving  visited  Naples,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Rome.  Naples  is  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  Vesuvius,  and  not  far  from  the  site,  of  Hercula- 
neum  and  Pompeii,  and  is  justly  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  interesting  cities  in  the  world,  on  account 
of  its  classical  associations.  Its  palaces  are  numerous 
and  elegant.  As  you  approach  it  from  the  sea  every 
one  is  struck  with  its  loveliness.  I  trust  the  time 
will  arrive  when  I  shall  see  for  myself,  and  not  be 
acquainted  witli  it  save  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear! 
The  streets  of  the  city  are  straight,  and  paved  with 
blocks  of  lava ;  but  only  the  principal  have  side- 


68  AfA.V'S    U'A'O.VGS; 

walks,  or  arc  lighted  by  gas.  The  Neapolitans  are 
very  fond  of  out-door  life.  None,  save  those  of  the 
lowest  rank,  walk  abroad.  If  they  cannot  ailurd  a 
carriage,  their  pride  dooms  them  to  perpetual  im- 
prisonment. As  the  roofs  of  the  houses  arc  flat, 
they  adorn  them  with  flowers  and  shrubs  in  boxes, 
and  the  care  of  them  afford  the  women  air  and 
exercise. 

Nero  made  his  first  public  appearance  on  the 
stage  at  Naples ;  but  its  chief  glory  was  its  asso- 
ciation with  Virgil,  who  is  supposed  to  have  resided 
there  for  a  considerable  time,  and  whose  tomb  is 
said  to  have  been  still  extant  in  the  time  of  Statins 
and  Italicus,  —  which  latter  poet  died  in  Naples, 
while  the  former  speaks  of  the  city  as  his  birthplace. 
In  1860,  it  was  taken  possession  of  by  Garibaldi  for 
the  King  of  Sardinia,  and,  in  November,  Victor 
Emanuel  entered  and  took  possession  of  it. 

From  Naples,  grandpa  says  they  proceeded  to 
Rome,  where  they  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Wash- 
ington Allston,  which  acquaintance,  on  Irving's  part, 
ripened  into  intimate  friendship.  In  fact  he  became 
so  delighted  with  Italy,  that  he  seriously  considered 
the  idea  of  remaining  there,  and  becoming  himself 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  69 

a  painter ;  but,  on  mature  deliberation,  he  relin- 
quished the  thought. 

On  leaving  Rome  they  proceeded  to  Paris,  where 
they  remained  for  some  time,  and  at  length  they 
landed  on  England's  shore.  After  remaining  there 
for  a  short  time  they  returned  together  to  New  York, 
and  resumed  their  law  studies,  and  were  duly  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  While  grandpa  gave  himself  up 
exclusively  to  his  profession,  it  seemed  to  possess 
no  attraction  for  Irving ;  his  thoughts  turned  wholly 
to  literature. 

After  the  war  of  1812,  Irving  visited  England  a 
second  time,  where  he  remained  for  seventeen  years. 
During  this  time  he  visited  Scotland,  where  he  be- 
came acquainted  with  Sir  Walter  Scott. 

Scott,  in  writing  to  a  friend  soon  after,  wrote, 
"  When  you  see  Campbell,  tell  him,  with  my  best 
love,  that  I  have  to  thank  him  for  introducing  me 
to  Mr.  Washington  Irving,  who  is  one  of  the  best 
and  pleasantest  acquaintances  I  have  made  this 
many  a  day  !  " 

Soon  after  his  visit  to  Scott  he  met  with  pecuniary 
reverses,  not,  however,  owing  to  any  fault  of  his 
own,  and  he  was  reduced  to  poverty.  It  was  thea 


70  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

that  .he  wrote  his  famous  "  Sketch  Book  ; "  and,  as 
he  afterward  wrote  grandpa,  it  was  to  Scott  that  he 
was  indebted  for  his  success,  as  he  pronounced  it 
"  positively  beautiful !  " 

After  this  he  filled  the  post  of  Minister  to  Spain 
for  four  years. 

For  some  years  before  his  death  he  resided  at 
"  Sunnyside,"  the  beautiful  spot  that  we  visited  yes- 
terday. This  is  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  near 
by  "  Sleepy  Hollow,"  of  which  place  he  says,  "  If 
ever  I  should  wish  for  a  retreat  where  I  might  steal 
from  the  world  and  its  distractions,  and  dream 
quietly  away  the  remainder  of  a  troubled  life,  I 
know  of  none  more  promising  than  this  little  valley." 

The  house  at  "  Sunnyside  "  is  the  identical  dwell- 
ing represented  as  the  castle  of  Baltus  Von  Tassel, 
where  Ichabod  Crane  paid  his  addresses  to  the  little 
Dutch  beauty  Katrina,  and  in  which  the  great  country 
frolic  took  place.  It  is  a  poet's  cottage,  lost  in  ver- 
dure and  flowers,  nestling  down  on  the  banks  of  that 
beautiful  river,  which  the  master  of  the  mansion 
has  adorned  and  illustrated  by  his  genius.  The 
house  is  in  the  genuine  Dutch  style,  and  everything 
about  it  is  redolent  of  bygone  days. 


OR,    WOMAX'S  FOIBLES.  ji 

Here,  on  the  banks  of  this  beautiful  stream,  away 
from  the  world  and  its  distraction,  as  he  had  wished, 
did  the  loved  Irving  tranquilly  pass  his  last  years. 

Uncle  Francis  says  that  he  was  never  married. 
He  told  grandpa  that  he  had  loved  a  beautiful  lady 
by  the  name  of  Hoffman,  and  that  he  intended  to 
marry  her ;  but  she  died,  and  he  had  no  room  in  his 
heart  for  a  second  love ! 

When  he  lay  upon  his  death-bed  he  had  her  Bible, 
—  an  old  and  time-worn  copy,  —  on  a  table  by  his 
side.  His  brothers  and  their  children  made  a  happy 
home  for  him,  as  uncle  Francis  and  grandpa  can 
aver,  for  they  visited  him  often.  He  died  of  heart 
disease,  about  ten  years  since.  Uncle  Francis  was 
at  his  funeral.  He  says  that  the  procession  passed 
by  a  road  which  winds  through  "  Sleepy  Hollow  ;  " 
and  near  that  place,  rendered  famous  by  his  genius, 
he  now  sleeps. 

On  our  return  home  we  visited  his  grave,  and 
left  our  tribute  behind,  —  a  tear !  for  ours  was  not 
the  admiration  of  genius  alone,  but  love  for  the 
man.  lie  was  our  friend.  Many  were  the  days 
and  weeks  that  he  had  passed  at  grandpa's,  where 
he  had  endeared  himself  to  all  our  hearts.  Of  none 


72  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

of  those  who  have  been  classed  among  our  friends 
do  I  feel  more  proud,  than  of  the  friendship  of  Wash- 
ington Irving.  A  small  lock  of  his  hair,  and  a  copy 
of  his  "  Sketch  Book,"  containing  my  name,  written 
in  his  own  valued  handwriting,  are  among  my  most 
precious  mementos ! 

When  we  arrived  home,  which  was  not  till  after 
nine  o'clock,  I  found  two  cards  bearing  the  names 
of  Vernon  and  Jenkins !  I  must  confess  the  truth, 
and  say  that  I  was  perfectly  crestfallen  at  first,  for 
Sir  Henry  had  called  upon  us  but  once  before,  and 
I  had  really  brought  myself  to  believe  that  the  sight 
of  our  humble  home  would  keep  his  lordship  from 
calling  a  second  time. 

What  could  have  prompted  him?  I  have  never 
met  him  at  an  evening  party,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  I  have  never  attended  one ;  although,  to  my 
great  surprise,  I  have  received  an  invitation  to  every 
one,  with  the  exception  of  two,  that  has  been  given 
this  winter.  It  is  well ! 

Our  depression  in  circumstances  is  producing  a 
good  effect  upon  me. 

I  am  beginning  to  see  that  "  this  world  is  but  a 
fleeting  show,  for  man's  illusion  given  ;  "  every  day 


OR,    WO  MAX'S  FOIBLES.  73 

brings  some  fresh  token  of  its  selfishness  and  vanity. 
But  I  must  try  by  my  actions  to  show,  and  not  only 
to  show,  but  to  be  a  child  of  wisdom  in  this  evil 
generation.  I  must  study  my  Bible  more,  and  learn 
to  be  like  Christ,  my  Saviour,  who  was  poor  for 
my  sake.  I  must  try  to  be  patient.  I  must  be  will- 
ing to  suffer  evil,  and,  what  is  harder  than  all,  to 
think  no  evil. 

What  a  world  this  would  be  if  that  charity  which 
the  Bible  teaches  us,  "  That  vaunteth  not  itself,  — 
that  is  not  puffed  up,"  should  be  practised  by  all 
men. 

Well !  I  will  try,  for  one,  and  cultivate  the  spirit, 
and  perhaps  others  will  follow  my  example. 

And  now,  instead  of  disquieting  myself  about  the 
notice  and  opinions  of  others,  I  will  commence  at 
once  a  course  of  study,  and  revive  at  least  all  my 
historical  knowledge ;  for  if  grandpa  should  send 
for  me  to  go  out  to  England,  I  should  not  wish  to  feel 
myself  an  ignoramus,  knowing  nothing  of  England 
as  a  country,  or  of  its  inhabitants  as  a  people  ;  and 
while  I  think  of  it,  I  will  purchase  a  manuscript  this 
afternoon,  which  I  will  devote  exclusively  to  general 
information  regarding  all  the  countries  of  Europe,  — 


74  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

their  principal  localities,  kings   and  queens, — great 
men,  aye,  and    women   too !     But   the   first  and   most 
important  thing  is   to  acquaint   myself  at  once  with 
the    names   and    lineage    of    the  present   kings    and 
queens,  for   I  must  confess  that  I  am  deplorably  igno- 
rant on    this  subject.     I  fear  if  Sir  Henry  should   in- 
troduce  any  of  them  as  a   topic  of  conversation,    he 
would  think  I  ought  to  attend  school  again  at  once. 
It  is  really  sad  to  think  that  as  soon  as  a  young 
lady  leaves   school,  and   goes   into   society,  how  soon 
its  vanities    and    vexations  will  cause    her    to  forget 
almost  all  she  ever  did  learn.     But  there's  the  dinner- 
bell  again.     It  doesn't  seem  more  than  an  hour  since 
breakfast ;   but  I  must  run,  as  pa  very  much  dislikes 
tardiness. 

MARCH   ist. 

Last  evening  I  attended  what  was  declared  to  be 
the  most  elegant  party  of  the  season,  at  Mis. 
Luddington's. 

Her  husband  was  a  classmate  of  grandpa's,  and 
while  in  college  formed  an  intimacy  witli  him  which 
has  never  yet  been  interrupted. 

Mr.  Luddington  is  an  old-school  gentleman,  digni- 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  7- 

fied,  yet  courteous  in  his  bearing,  with  a  face  so  full 
of  sympathy  and  kindness  that  even  a  child  would 
love  him. 

Mrs.  Luddington,  like  her  husband,  although  an 
elegant,  most  highly-accomplished  lady,  has  a  soul 
overflowing  with  love  and  good-will  to  all,  and 
never  is  her  high  breeding  more  manifest  than  in 
her  efforts  to  show  that  she  esteems  others  better 
than  herself! 

I  wore  my  white  muslin,  —  my  first  appearance 
in  it,  —  trimmed  in  the  plainest  manner  with  folds 
of  lace,  and  silk  of  the  palest  blue  ;  not  a  jewel  of 
any  kind,  although  I  must  confess  to  a  little  chagrin 
when  I  thought  of  the  elegant  set  of  pearls,  —  neck- 
lace, bracelets,  pin  and  ear-rings,  my  last  gift 
from  grandpa  before  the  horrid  war,  —  lying  packed 
away  in  my  escritoire  at  home,  doing  service  to 
none.' 

But  then  pa  said  it  would  be  highly  improper  for 
me  to  wear  them  ;  and,  in  fact,  on  a  little  reflection 
I  thought  so  too !  A  few  snow-berries,  just  peeping 
from  among  their  green  leaves,  were  the  only  deco- 
ration to  my  hair ;  a  small  silver  cross,  a  gift  from 
Minnie,  was  my  pin  :  kid  gloves  of  the  palest  blue, 


y6  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

black  satin  slippers,  and  white  silk  stockings,  — 
remnants  of  my  better  days,  —  one  of  my  simplest 
embroidered  handkerchiefs,  with  just  a  drop  of 
"  Love  among  the  Roses,"  and  an  exquisite  little  fan 
of  rice,  sent  me  by  a  gentleman  from  France  in  my 
younger  days. 

As  almost  every  one,  however  poor,  has  some 
such  trinket,  which,  if  not  presented  to  them  per- 
sonally, descended  from  their  ancestors,  pa  thought 
it  not  amiss  that  I  should  take  it.  I  have  a  weak- 
ness in  this  particular.  I  always  feel  more  at  case 
if  I  can  find  some  way  in  which  to  employ  my  hands 
while  at  a  party ! 

Minnie  called  for  me  just  before  nine ;  it  is  so 
thoughtful  in  her.  It  is  not  every  girl  who  would 
be  willing  to  call  in  her  own  carriage  to  convey  one 
to  a  party  who  cannot  afford  to  hire  one  for  the 
purpose,  much  less  ride  in  her  own  ! 

While  we  were  arranging  ourselves  in  the  dressing- 
room,  preparatory  to  descending  to  the  drawing- 
room,  Minnie  spoke  of  my  appearance.  She  assured 
me  that  "  I  looked  lovely,  and  that  the  most  fas- 
tidious person  present  could  find  no  fault  with  me. 
My  dress  was  plain,  but  in  perfect  taste."  This  she 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  77 

said  not  to  flatter  me,  but  to  reassure  me,  and  I  was 
much  more  at  case  for  her  kind  approval,  as  I  knew 
she  was  sincere. 

Minnie  Maverick  is  a  girl  that  one  can  trust.  She 
is  not  of  that  class  of  women  who  arc  all  things  to 
all  men !  She  would  scorn  the  thought  of  praising 
one's  appearance  to  their  face,  and  making  sport 
of  them  as  soon  as  they  had  turned  away  !  Minnie 
is  a  girl  of  character  and  heart.  If  she  knows  her 
duty,  she  tries  to  perform  it.  She  never  asks,  as 
weak-minded  people  ever  do,  "  What  will  this  one 
say?"  or  "What  will  that  one  think?"  She  has 
a  mind  of  her  own  ;  and,  though  possessed  of  a  large 
organ  of  approbativeness,  never  sacrifices  her  own 
independence  to  the  whims  and  caprice  of  others. 

Minnie  looked  very  handsomely.  Her  dress  was 
of  rich  blue  silk,  —  an  overskirt  of  white  silk  tissue, 
trimmed  with  a  deep  puffing  around  the  bottom,  and 
three  garlands  of  blue  flowers  passing  around  the 
back  part  of  the  dress,  raising  the  tissue  in  puffs  that 
form  panniers.  A  string  of  pearls  were  around  her 
hair,  pearl  pin  and  ear-rings,  gloves  that  matched 
the  dress  in  shade,  and  a  handsome  bouquet  in  an 
elegant  silver  flower-holder! 


78  MAN'S   li'XO.VGS; 

Mr.  Maverick  entertains  the  same  opinion  that  pa 
does;  and  that  is,  a  strong  dislike  for  a  lady,  under 
any  circumstances,  exposing  her  arms  and  neck  at 
an  evening  party  ;  consequently  Minnie  and  I  belong 
to  the  high-neck  and  long-sleeve  class ! 

As  we  entered  the  drawing-room,  young  Fred 
Luddington,  who  was  standing  near  the  door  as 
we  entered,  offered  me  his  arm,  and  Harry  Ham- 
ilton offering  his  to  Minnie  ;  we  were  led  up  to  pay 
our  respects  to  the  host  and  hostess. 

We  then  joined  a  group  of  young  ladies  who  were 
busily  engaged  in  discussing  some  subject,  which 
we  learned  to  be  as  to  the  presence  of  Sir  Henry 
Vernon. 

A  distinguished  Englishman  is  a  lion  in  our  set. 
Nothing  creates  so  intense  an  excitement  as  the  ar- 
rival of  a  foreigner,  especially  if  he  is  distingue ! 
Suddenly  the  voices  subsided  into  a  gentle  murmur ; 
and  as  I  turned  my  head  to  learn  the  cause,  I  saw 
Sir  Henry,  with  Laura  Jenkins  hanging  on  his  arm, 
and  Arthur  Jenkins,  with  Emily  Schuylcr,  just  paying 
their  devoirs  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Luddington. 

Breathe  not  my  weakness !  but  I  felt  for  a  mo- 
ment,—  just  a  moment,  —  as  if  bereft  of  sense  and 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  79 

feeling!  By  the  time  they  had  approached  our 
group,  I  was  perfectly  self-possessed,  though  I 
imagine  I  looked  a  trifle  pale.  Sir  Henry  bowed 

» 

very  politely,  and  passed  on,  Laura  still  hanging  on 
his  arm.  The  criticisms  now  fell  fast  and  thick, 
but  they  passed  on  and  heard  them  not.  /  heard 
them. 

"  They  say,"  said  Belle  Schuyler,  "  that  Vernon 
and  Laura  Jenkins  are  to  make  a  match.  Charlie 
says  that  Arthur  brought  him  over  simply  on  Laura's 
account." 

"  I  don't  think  much  of  Englishmen,  any  way," 
said  Fanny  Hamilton  ;  "  for  my  own  part  I  am  very 
well  contented  with  our  New  Yorkers,  although  I 
have  a  strong  penchant  for  Southern  gentlemen  ;  but 
if  they  are  American  they  are  all  one,  or  ought  to 
be!" 

"  I  don't  believe  Mr.  Vernon  has  a  thought  of  any 
one  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,"  said  Minnie,  "  for  I 
have  good  reason  to  think  he  left  his  heart  on  the 
other  side." 

"Not  his  heart !  "  said  Harry  Hamilton,  —  oh  !  how 
I  thanked  him,  —  "  for  report  says  that  his  hand  only 
is  promised  ;  his  heart  goes  not  with  it." 


80  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

"  I  dare  say  there  are  scores  of  young  Indies 
present  who  would  not  care  a  straw  for  his  heart, 
if  they  could  only  secure  his  hand,"  said  Belle 
Schuyler.  "  Not  one  in  ten,  in  this  age,  believe  in 
love,  or  hearts." 

"  I  hope  you  don't  judge  by  yourself,  Miss  Schuy- 
ler," said  Hany  Hamilton,  mischievously. 

"  Ah,  no,  Mr.  Hamilton  !  "  And  Belle,  affecting  a 
sigh,  but  speaking  from  her  heart  more  than  she 
would  desire  us  to  suspect,  said,  in  a  low  whisper,  — 

"A  home  in  the  heart  is  a  home  for  me, 
Whether  it  be  on  land  or  sea  1 " 

We  were  amused  at  the  sly  glances  that  passed 
between  her  and  Harry.  • 

"  Well,"  said  Grace  Montague,  "  I  for  one  must 
say  that  I  am  rather  glad  I  have  not,  as  yet,  made 
M"!'.  Vernon's  acquaintance  ;  for  I  should  be  in  con- 
tinual terror  lest  he  should  say  something  in  regard 
to  England  that  I  should  know  nothing  about,  and 
I  verily  believe  I  should  die  of  mortification ! 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  a  continual  round  of  par- 
ties, theatres,  and  like  dissipation,  in  the  winter, 
with  Newport,  and  its  round  of  fashionable  society, 


OR,    U'O.lfAX'S  FOIBLES.  Si 

in  the  summer,  has  so  completely  engrossed  my 
thoughts  and  time,  that  I  have  just  about  forgotten 
all  my  former  knowledge  of  history. 

"  I  used  to  be  quite  a  proficient  in  that  study, 
and  had  the  names  of  all  the  kings  and  queens, 
with  their  right  of  succession,  dates  of  birth,  mar- 
riage and  death,  at  my  tongue's  end ;  but  when  one 
leaves  school,  and  goes  into  society,  there  are  so 
many  things  to  distract  the  attention,  that,  without 
method  and  effort,  one's  education  is  almost  thrown 
away." 

Just  at  this  moment,  Mr.  Vernon,  who  had  disen- 
gaged himself  from  Laura,  joined  our  group.  He 
was  formally  introduced  to  Misses  Montague,  Hamil- 
ton, and  Schuyler,  whom  he  recognized  as  having 
been  in  society  with  him,  but  to  whom  he  had  not 
had  the  pleasure  of  an  introduction. 

"  I  really  think,  Mr.  Vernon,  your  visit  to  America 
will  conduce  highly  to  the  improvement  of  some  of 
our  young  ladies,"  said  Belle  Schuyler. 

"In  what  respect,  may  I  ask?"  said  Sir  Henry, 
smiling. 

Poor  Grace  Montague  looked  unutterable  things. 

"I  can  answer  for  myself,"  said   Belle,    "that  I 
6 


83  J/.J.V  .9    U  HONGS; 

have  been  very  much  afraid  lest  you  may  introduce, 
in  conversation,  some  Englishman  of  renown,  of 
whom  I  may  have  been  so  unfortunate  as  never  to 
have  heard,  and,  even  though  I  may  have  been 
familiar  with  his  history  in  days  gone  by,  that  I 
may  have  forgotten.  So  I  will  now  inform  you  that 
I  remember  scarcely  anything  concerning  English 
history,  and  you  will  not  be  disappointed  in  me. 
I  can  just  recall  William  the  Silent,  William  Rufus, 
and  Edward  the  Black  Prince  ;  also  Bloody  Mary, 
Elizabeth,  and  Anne  Boleyn.  These  I  cannot  forget ; 
but  as  to  the  Georges,  —  the  Hanoverian  line,  —  the 
houses  of  York  and  Lancaster,  —  as  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned, they  rest  in  the  tomb  of  the  Capulets !  " 

"  I  will  give  you  credit  for  candor,  most  certainly," 
said  Mr.  Vernon  ;  "and  as  to  your  historical  knowl- 
edge, I  presume  if  any  of  your  American  gentlemen 
should  visit  England,  they  would  find  a  large  num- 
ber of  English  ladies,  who  consider  themselves  highly 
educated,  as  unfamiliar  with  the  history  of  America 
as  you  are  with  England.  I  myself  heard  one  of 
them  remark,  in  the  presence  of  a  number  of  gentle- 
men and  ladies,  that  the  Americans  were  a  con- 
ceited, puny  race ! 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  83 

"I  answered  that  they  were  anything  but  puny; 
for  in  their  infancy  they  whipped  their  old  mother 
England  so  severely,  she  would  retain  her  scars  till 
the  day  of  her  death. 

"  The  young  lady  was  astonished,  and  had  not 
the  slightest  recollection  of  any  such  event. 

"  I  assured  her  that  it  would  be  much  better  for 
us,  as  a  nation,  to  remember  it,  and  to  be  very 
careful  that  we  never  again  irritated  so  powerful  a 
people. 

"But,  Miss  Schuyler,  I  must  say  that  I  think, 
not  only  here,  but  in  the  Old  World,  there  is  not 
time  enough  given  to  the  cultivation  of  the  memory 
and  the  mind.  No  matter  of  how  much  knowledge 
a  man  may  be  possessed,  he  must  be  constantly  re- 
viewing and  increasing  it,  or  it  will  gradually  fade 
from  his  mind.  I  think  if  every  young  gentleman 
and  lady  should  set  aside  a  portion  of  time  for  each 
day,  and  devote  themselves  to  acquiring  general 
information,  thereby  preventing  the  current  of  thought 
from  growing  stagnant,  there  would  not  be  so  much 
folly  and  worldly-mindedness  laid  to  their  charge." 

"  I  agree  with  you  perfectly,  Mr.  Vernon,"  said 
Minnie,  "  and,  I  doubt  not,  ail  my  friends  will  unite 


84  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

with  me  in  thanking  you  for  your  advice,  and  in 
endeavoring  to  profit  by  it." 

Of  course  \ve  all  nodded  in  acquiescence. 

"  But  it  is  so  difficult,  after  you  have  formed  a 
plan,  to  keep  to  it,"  said  Grace  Montague.  "  It  is 
almost  impossible,  in  this  frivolous  age,  to  fix  your 
attention  on  the  more  serious  side  of  life." 

"  Try  it,  Miss  Montague,"  said  Mr.  Vernon  ;  "  I 
hardly  believe  you  will  continue  to  think  it  a  serious 
side,  but  I  think,  in  a  short  time,  if  you  persevere 
with  it,  you  will  anticipate  it  as  one  of  your  most 
enjoyable  hours ! " 

Just  then  the  sound  of  music  struck  upon  our 
ears,  and  the  crowd  commenced  moving  toward  the 
spot.  As  Sir  Henry  was  standing  nearest  me, 
of  course  he  offered  me  his  arm  ;  common  politeness 
could  have  done  no  less.  He  said,  in  a  low  tone, 
"  that  he  regretted  not  finding  me  at  home  on  the 
evening  of  his  call." 

I  answered  that  "  I  equally  regretted  being  absent 
from  home,  but  that  I  had  gone  on  an  excursion 
with  my  parents  and  uncle,  to  visit  the  home  of 
Washington  Irving." 

I   did    not   tell    him    that   Irving  was    a  friend  of 


OR,     WOMAN'S    FOIBLES.  85 

grandpa's.  I  had  just  pride  enough  left  to  feel  that 
if  Sir  Henry  was  my  friend,  he  must  be  so  on 
account  of  myself,  and  not  because  I  was  the  grand- 
daughter of  a  judge!  Neither  did  I  glance  at  him 
to  see  how  he  was  affected  by  the  mention  of  the 
name  of  Irving  I 

"  How  much  I  should  have  enjoyed  being  of 
your  party,  Miss  Manton ! "  said  he. 

"  I  should  have  been  most  happy  to  have  had 
you  accompany  us,  had  I  have  been  aware  that  it 
would  have  afforded  you  any  pleasure,"  I  replied. 

"  I  think  this  is  the  first  party  at  which  I  have 
had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you,  Miss  Manton." 

"  It  is  the  first  one  of  this  season  which  I  have 
attended,"  I  replied ;  and,  with  some  hesitancy,  I 
added,  "  I  attend  only  one  or  two  in  a  season ;  my 
father's  means  will  not  allow  of  my  attending 
more." 

"  And  can  you  witness  the  beauty  and  elegance 
attendant  upon  these  parties  once  or  twice  only, 
and  remain  contented  during  the  remainder  of  the 
season?"  he  inquired. 

"  Better  now  than  formerly,"  I  replied.  "  It  was 
very  hard  at  first,  I  admit;  but,  as  time  progresses, 


86  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

it  is  much  easier  to  endure  the  trial.  My  allowing 
myself  to  be  unhappy  would  be  of  no  avail,  and 
would  enhance  greatly  the  unhappiness  of  my  par- 
ents. I  take  for  my  lesson  each  day,  to  '  be  content 
with  such  things  as  I  have.'  " 

Our  conversation  was  beginning  to  attract  the 
notice  of  the  surrounders ;  which,  as  Mr.  Vernon 
observed,  he  very  kindly  left  me  with  Minnie,  and 
withdrew  to  another  part  of  the  room  ;  not,  however, 
until  he  had  given  me  another  glance  into  his  heart ! 
I  strove  to  pay  attention  to  the  music  ;  I  answered 
Minnie's  look  of  inquiry  with  an  amused  smile ; 
and  how  could  I  help  it?  To  be  obliged  to  hear 
what  I  would  fain  have  shut  my  ears  against,  —  the 
remarks  that  were  made  at  my  expense.  "  A 
dra~jo  /'w^-teacher  !  "  "Poor!"  "Lives  in  a  small, 
out-of-the-way  place  in  Harlem!"  "Her  father 
was  a  rebel!  Just  good  enough  for  them  ;  always 
thinking  themselves  better  than  their  neighbors ! " 
"These  Southern  nabobs  do  feel  so  big,  even  if  they 
are  poor  as  church-mice  !  "  I  was  greatly  amused. 
The  very  idea  of  their  being  jealous  and  envious 
of  me,  who  feel  myself  less  than  the  least  among 


O/?,    WOMAN'S   FOIBLES.  87 

them !  Poor  deluded  mortals!  I  had  vastly  rather 
be  slandered  than  the  slanderer ! 

Shortly  after,  supper  was  announced.  Sir  Henry 
took  Mrs.  Luddington  to  the  supper-room  ;  and,  to 
my  great  surprise,  Mr.  Luddington  took  poor,  insig- 
nificant me !  It  is  surprising  how  an  attention  like 
this  will  sometimes  call  into  being  emotions  of  a 
strength  and  nature  that  remain  during  life.  How 
grateful,  when  one  conceives  herself  to  be  the  least, 
to  receive  such  attention.  Had  I  have  been  the 
Duchess  of  Sutherland,  I  could  not  have  been  treated 
with  more  marked  consideration  or  respect. 

The  repast,  of  course,  was  sumptuous,  and  served 
in  the  most  magnificent  style.  Mrs.  Luddington 
embraced  the  opportunity  to  ask  me  about  grandpa, 
and  evinced  so  great  an  interest  in  everything  con- 
cerning us,  that  I  really  felt  quite  at  ease. 

Whether  it  was  the  particular  attention  shown 
me  by  the  host  and  hostess,  or  from  the  promptings 
of  his  own  heart,  I  cannot  say ;  but  one  thing  is 
true,  —  that  Sir  Henry  asked  the  honor  of  escorting 
me  to  my  carriage,  when  it  should  arrive  ;  and  from 
that  moment  till  the  carriage  was  announced,  I 
scarcely  knew  whether  I  was  in  or  out  of  the  body ! 


88  MAN'S  WAONGS; 

Kate  Manton,  where  are  your  fine  resolves  never 
again  to  think  of  Sir  Henry  Vernon?  Take  the 
warnings  of  your  own  heart,  and  do  not  deceive 
yourself  into  a  belief  that  he  cares  for  you,  save  as 
he  may  care  for  any  valued  friend!  Rest  assured 
you  will  save  yourself  much  pain  if  you  will  follow 
these  promptings. 

"  Others  love,  are  loved,  filled  full  thereof; 
I,  only  I,  must  faint  and  fall; 
Must  starve  for  that  I  can  never  have !  ah  me  I " 


Off,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  89 


- 


VIII. 

T  AURA  JENKINS  called  yesterday,  and  I  must 
-• — '  sa\-,  in  justice  to  her,  she  appears  lovely.  What 
a  rival  I  have  in  her !  handsome,  wealthy,  and  ac- 
complished, —  while  I  am  poor,  plain,  and  good- 
natured  only  because  I  have  to  be !  I  very  much 
fear,  at  times,  that  if  the  few  friends  I  possess  could 
look  into  my  heart,  and  see  it  just  as  it  is,  I  should 
number  fewer  still. 

Laura  made  a  very  handsome  apology  for  not 
inviting  me  to  her  party,  and  then  invited  me  to 
take  a  trip  on  the  Hudson,  as  far  as  West  Point,  the 
following  day.  Thanking  her  for  her  kindness,  I 
assured  her  I  would  accept  the  invitation  with  the 
greatest  pleasure. 

And  now,  as  it  is  but  five  o'clock,  and  we  do  not 
start  till  nine,  I  will  try  and  refresh  my  memory  so 
far  as  the  present  kings  and  queens  of  Europe  are 


90  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

concerned,  so  that  I  may  feel  a  little  at  ease  if  Sir 
Henry  shouUl  chance  to  engage  me  in  conversa- 
tion, —  for,  of  course,  he  will  be  there  !  and  Minnie, 
—  dear  girl  that  she  is,  —  she  will  keep  me  in  coun- 
tenance, at  least.  Let  me  see, — yes,  I  will  begin 
with  Victoria :  — 

Victoria  Alexandrina,  Queen  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland,  born  at  Kensington  Palace,  May  241)1, 
1819.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Edward,  Duke  of 
Kent,  fourth  son  of  George  the  Third,  and  the  Prin- 
cess Victoria  Mary  Louisa  of  Saxe  Coburg  Saalfeld. 
Her  father  died  in  1820;  and,  as  neither  George  the 
Fourth,  nor  his  brothers  next  of  kin,  —  the  Dukes 
of  York  and  Clarence, — had  surviving  children, 
she  was  looked  upon  as  future  sovereign  of  England. 
On  the  death  of  George  the  Fourth  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  brother,  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  who 
received  the  name  of  William  Henry  from  his  uncle, 
the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  and  ascended  the  throne  in 
1830,  with  the  title  of  William  the  Fourth.  As  he 
died  without  a  male  heir,  it  caused  the  crown  of 
Hanover  to  be  separated  from  that  of  Great  Britain, 
—  his  brother,  the  Duke  of  Cumberland,  becoming 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  91 

King  of  Hanover,  and  his  niece,  Victoria,  Queen 
of  Great  Britain.  She  was  therefore  crowned  in 
Westminster  Abbey,  June  2Sth,  1838,  and  in  August, 
1859,  sne  vvas  a^so  proclaimed  Queen  of  Hindostan. 

On  February  loth,  18^0,  Victoria  married  Prince 
Albert  of  Saxe  Coburg  Gotha,  who  died  December 
i4th,  1861,  —  the  same  year  of  the  death  of  her 
mother,  the  Duchess  of  Kent. 

Victoria  has  had  nine  children,  —  Victoria  Ade- 
laide, who  married  the  Crown  Prince  of  Prussia,  — 
Albert  Edward,  Prince  of  Wales,  who  married 
Alexandrina,  Princess  of  Denmark,  —  Alice,  who 
married  Prince  Louis  of  Hesse,  —  Alfred,  Helena, 
Louisa,  Arthur,  Leopold,  and  Beatrice. 

Louis  Charles  Napoleon  Bonaparte  is  the  pres- 
ent Emperor  of  the  French.  He  was  the  youngest 
son  of  Louis  Bonaparte,  King  of  Holland,  and  Hor- 
tensc  Beauharnais,  the  daughter  of  the  Empress 
Josephine,  and  consequently  nephew  of  the  great 
Napoleon  !  lie  was  born  in  Paris,  in  1808. 

After  Louis  Philippe  was  dethroned,  he  was  chosen 
deputy  to  the  National  Assembly,  and  when  in  1850 
the  election  for  President  came  on,  he  was  found  to 


pa  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

be  the  most  popular  candidate,  and  was  chosen  by 
a  large  majority  of  votes.  Before  two  years  had 
transpired,  a  decree  was  put  forth  ordering  the  es- 
tablishment of  universal  suffrage,  and  the  election 
of  a  President  for  ten  years.  lie  was,  of  course, 
elected  under  this  decree.  At  the  close  of  1852,  the 
people  were  asked  to  revive  the  imperial  dignity  in 
the  person  of  Louis  Napoleon.  The  votes  were 
largely  in  his  favor,  and  he  was  declared  Emperor, 
under  the  title  of  Napoleon  Third. 

In  1853  he  married  Eugonie,  Countess  de  Teba, 
a  Spanish  lady  of  remarkable  beauty  and  accomplish- 
ments. He  has  one  son,  born  in  1856.  He  suc- 
ceeded Louis  Philippe,  who  ascended  the  throne  of 
France  in  1830,  from  the  branch  known  as  Bourbon 
Orleans,  tracing  its  origin  to  Philippe,  Duke  of 
Orleans.  Louis  Philippe  reigned  eighteen  years, 
and  lost  his  crown  in  the  revolution  of  February,  1848. 

Prancis  Joseph,  the  reigning  Emperor  of  Austria, 
was  the  eldest  son  of  the  Archduke  Francis  Charles, 
and  the  Archduchess  Sophia,  daughter  of  the  King 
of  Bavaria,  and  sister  of  the  Queens  of  Prussia  and 
Saxony. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  93 

He  was  also  grandson  of  Francis  Second,  Emperor 
of  Germany,  and  First,  of  Austria,  whom  he  suc- 
ceeded. He  was  nephew  of  Ferdinand  First,  and 
also  of  Maria  Louisa,  second  wife  of  the  great  Napo- 
leon, lie  was  born  in  1830.  In  1854  he  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  the  Bavarian  Duke  Maximilian 
Joseph  of  Zwerbriicken  Birkenfeld.  Francis  First, 
the  grandfather  of  the  present  Emperor,  was  the  son 
of  Leopold  Second,  and  of  Maria  Louisa,  daughter 
of  Charles  Third,  King  of  Spain ;  and  Francis 
Charles,  the  father  of  the  present  Emperor,  was  his 
son  by  his  second  wife,  Maria  Theresa. 

William  First,  King  of  Prussia,  is  the  second  son 
of  Frederic  William  the  Third.  He  was  born  in 
1797,  and  succeeded  his  brother  Frederic  William 
Fourth  to  the  throne  in  1861,  and  was  crowned  at 
Konigsberg.  He  was  married  in  1829  to  the  Duchess 
Marie  Luise  Auguste  Katharine,  of  Saxe  Weimar, 
lie  had  a  son  and  daughter  —  the  elder,  the  Crown 
Prince  Friedrich  Wilhelm  Nicholas  Karl,  born  in 
1831,  married  in  1858,  to  Victoria,  Princess  Royal  of 
Great  Britain  ;  and  the  younger,  the  Princess  Luise 


Marie  Elizabeth,  born  in  1838,  and  married  in  1856, 
to  the  Grand  Duke  Frederic  of  Baden. 

Alexander  Second,  Czar  of  Russia,  was  born  in 
1818.  He  was  the  son  and  successor  of  Nicholas 
First.  His  mother  was  Charlotte  of  Prussia,  the 
eldest  daughter  of  Frederic  William  the  Third. 

In  1841  he  married  Maria  Alcxandrowna,  Grand 
Duchess  of  Hesse  Darmstadt.  It  was  wholly  a  love 
match,  the  young  prince  having  made  his  own  choice 
among  a  host  of  German  princesses.  He  ascended 
the  throne  in  1855.  Alexander  is  the  eldest  of  five 
children  ;  his  sister  Maria,  next  in  age,  is  widow  of 
the  Duke  of  Leuchtenburg ;  Olga,  wife  of  the  Crown 
Prince  of  Wurtemburg,  Nicholas,  and  Michael. 

I  cannot  say  how  much  of  these  I  shall  remember, 
but  my  memory  is  certainly  refreshed  a  little.  How 
foolish  we  young  ladies  arc  to  waste  so  much  time 
in  frivolous  pursuits!  Why  can  we  not  think  more 
of  the  mind,  and  strive  to  cultivate  that? 

Learning  is  always  respected.  No  matter  what 
a  man's  social  position,  if  he  is  educated,  and  \ve 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  95 

find  that  he  is  our  superior  in  literary  attainments, 
the  knowledge  at  once  elicits  our  respect. 

Not  that  I  approve  of  being  a  bookworm,  or  a 
blue-stocking,  but  there  is  a  happy  medium  in  this 
as  in  all  things. 

Would  each  young  lady  devote  one  hour  in  the 
morning,  before  breakfast,  instead  of  wasting  that 
precious  time  in  bed,  to  the  study  of  some  useful 
subject,  a  new  era  would  dawn  upon  us !  It  is 
melancholy  to  find  how  much  ignorance  lies  con- 
cealed beneath  the  chignons,'  crimps,  curls  and  vel- 
vets, to  say  nothing  of  the  imperials,  mustaches, 
and  whiskers  of  our  youth  !  Verily,  all  is  vanity ! 
Ah !  here  is  Minnie,  and  I  must  array  myself  for 
the  excursion. 

MARCH  3d. 

Such  a  glorious  time  as  I  had  yesterday !  We 
had  a  pleasant  party  of  twenty,  —  twelve  ladies  and 
eight  gentlemen.  Minnie  and  I  were  escorted  by 
Arthur  Jenkins,  and  Laura,  with  Emily  Schuyler, 
were  under  Sir  Henry  Vernon's  escort,  at  least  when 
we  started.  I  am  not  at  all  jealous  of  Laura.  It 
seems  as  if  Sir  Henry  belongs  to  her  by  right.  I  was 


96  A/AX'S   H'XO.YGS; 

calm  and  self-possessed,  although  I  confess  to  an  in- 
describable trembling  when  he  first  lifted  his  hat 
and  bowed  to  me !  But  I  am  growing  wiser ;  yes ! 
wiser. 

What  difference  will  it  make  to  me  whom  I 
love,  or  who  loves  me,  when  fifty  years  shall  have 
rolled  their  round?  What  difference,  when  I  leave 
this  world,  with  all  its  vanities,  to  go  hence,  and 
be  known  no  more,  whether  I  am  married  or  single, 
rich  or  poor,  envied  or  despised? 

None !  If  Christ  will  give  me  strength  to  walk 
in  just  such  paths  as  He  approves ;  to  follow,  not 
the  inclination  of  my  own  sinful  heart,  but  after 
that  which  is  well-pleasing  in  His  sight,  —  if  He  is 
my  friend,  it  is  enough  ! 

It  was  a  glorious  morning !  Crowds  of  people 
were  standing  on  the  wharves.  The  steamer,  which 
was  ready  to  start  as  soon  as  we  were  on  board, 
lay  at  the  foot  of  the  pier. 

As  we  passed  on  to  the  boat,  I  was  very  much 
delighted  by  meeting  Judge  Francis,  a  chum  of 
grandpa's,  in  old  Harvard. 

lie  is  a  fine-looking,  elderly  gentleman  of  the  old 
school,  and  had  with  him  his  wife  and  daughter 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  97 

They  were  returning  from  a  visit  in  Washington, 
to  their  home  in  Newburg ;  were  very  cordial,  and 
gave  me  an  urgent  invitation  to  visit  them  in  their 
home. 

"  I  hear,  Kate,  how  nobly  you  are  bearing  your 

reverses !  "  said  the  Judge.     "  They  will  do  you  no 

harm,  but   will   develop  your   character   and   mind, 

•and   I   doubt   not  you   will   yet   live   to    thank    the 

Lord   for  leading   you  by   this   very  way." 

"Oh,"  I  replied,  "please  don't  praise  me,  sir;  for 
I  bear  it  anything  but  nobly.  I  am  easily  irri- 
tated, and  prone  to  be  very  bitter  against  those  who 
dare  look  down  upon  me  ;  and  yet  I  suppose  it  is 
perfectly  natural  that  some  weak  minds  should  feel 
thus ;  for  they  know  that  I  am  a  hated  Southerner ! 

"You  know,  sir,  there  are  a  great  many  at  the 
North  who  believe  that  in  a  Southerner  there  is  no 
good  thing ! " 

"Ah,"  said  the  Judge,  "you  must  not  feel  thus, 
Miss  Kate.  I  think,  now  that  Grant  is  in  the  Presi- 
dential chair,  this  feeling  will  be  done  away  with 
in  a  great  measure." 

"  Excuse  me  for  disagreeing  with  you,  sir ;  but  I 
think  if  our  noble  Seymour  had  have  been  elected, 
7 


98  MAN'S    WKOXGS; 

we  should  have  had  a  much  better  chance  of  being 
restored  to  our  true  position  as  Southerners.  My 
father  is  with  you,  sir ;  but  ma  and  I  are  filled  with 
sympathy  for  the  Democratic  cause ;  and  the  one 
redeeming  feature  only  in  '  Woman's  Rights,'  —  the 
right  of  the  ballot,  —  is,  that  when  that  day  shall 
arrive,  there  will  be  no  struggle  between  parties ; 
for  the  women  will  carry  in  the  Democratic  candi- 
date with  such  an  overpowering  majority,  there  will 
be  no  necessity  for  the  poor  Republicans  to  present 
a  candidate ! " 

"Well,  really,  Miss  Kate,  you  are  quite  a  politi- 
cian ;  but  if  I  thought  there  was  the  least  ground 
for  your  suspicions,  I  should  wield  my  pen  with 
all  its  force  against  '  Woman's  Rights ' !  Why,  Miss 
Kate,  if  the  Democrats  should  be  again  in  power, 
the  country  would  be  ruined  ! " 

"  It  is  laughable,"  I  replied,  "  how  conceited  you 
Republicans  arc ; "  and  then,  remembering  how 
superior  Judge  Francis  was  to  me  in  age  as  well 
as  intellect,  I  said,  "  You  will  pardon  me,  sir,  I  did 
not  intend  being  rudef  but  I  do  feel  that  we,  as  a 
part  of  the  country,  are  so  wronged ! 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  99 

"  I  feel  that  I  am  becoming,  however,  more  recon- 
ciled to  my  fate,  and  I  trust  it  will  make  of  me  a 
more  perfect  woman  !  " 

I  then  invited  Miss  Francis  to  walk  to  another 
part  of  the  boat,  and  allow  me  to  introduce  her  to 
my  friends. 

She  politely  acceded  to  my  request. 

I  felt  proud  of  the  honor  of  introducing  her.  She 
was  an  elegant  young  lady,  of  about  twenty-six, 
dressed  in  the  most  perfect  taste,  with  an  air  of 
high-breeding  that  betokened  the  lady.  Shortly 
after  her  introduction,  Mr.  Vernon  asked  me  "  if 
Miss  Francis,  whose  name  was  very  familiar,  was  » 
relative  of  Judge  Francis,  formerly  of  New  York?' 

';  She  is  his  daughter,"  I  replied. 

"  I  then  asked  him  if  he  was  acquainted  witl 
Judge  Francis?  " 

"  Only  by  reputation,"  he  replied. 

"  He  was  an  intimate  friend  of  my  uncle  Sil 
Albert  Vernon,  in  years  gone  by." 

After  a  moment's  hesitation,  he  asked  me  "  if  I 
would  favor  him  with  an  introduction  to  the  Judge?" 
and  as  I  cordially  assented,  he  gave  me  his  arm, 


100  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

and  we  walked  to  the  part  of  the  boat  where  Judge 
Francis  and  his  wife  were  sitting. 

When  I  mentioned  Sir  Henry's  name,  the  Judge 
started,  and  exclaimed,  "Is  it  possible?  Do  I  in- 
deed behold  the  nephew  of  my  valued  friend  Sir 
Albert  Fortescue  Vcrnon?  I  think  I  must  have 
recognized  you  by  your  strong  resemblance  to  your 
uncle.  And  your  father?" 

"Was  Sir  Henry  Stuart  Vernon ! " 

"Yes,  I  knew  him  also;  but  not  as  intimately  as 
his  brother.  It  is  many  years  since  I  heard  of  or 
from  your  uncle." 

"  He  has  been  a  confirmed  invalid,"  Sir  Henry 
replied,  "  for  nearly  ten  years." 

"  Your  grandfather,  Kate,  Judge  Blake,  was 
another  friend  of  Sir  Henry's  uncle." 

"  Your  grandfather,  Miss  Manton !  "  said  Sir 
Henry.  "  Wonders  will  never  cease !  Why,  I 
have  dined  at  my  uncle's,  with  your  grandfather, 
within  six  months ! 

"Why  did  I  not  know  of  your  relationship?  I 
have  asked  Arthur  of  your  relatives,  Miss  Kate ; " 
and  then,  with  a  blush,  as  if  he  had  unnecessarily 
committed  himself,  he  "added,  "your  face  reminded 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  IOI 

me   so  strongly  of  one  I  had    seen  before,  and  this 
accounts  for  it. 

"Arthur  told  me  simply  that  you  were  a  South- 
erner ;  once  in  high  social  life,  but  now  suffering 
adversity,  caused  by  your  dreadful  war ! 

"  Ah,  Arthur,"  said  Sir  Henry,  aside,  "  I  did  not 
think  this  of  you. 

"  I  have  evinced  more  interest  in  Miss  Manton 
than  I  ought,  and  it  may  be  that  you  fear  Laura  will 
have  a  rival,  —  poor  fellow  !  I  have  not  lived  these 
years  for  nothing,  and  in  future  I  will  be  more 
careful  to  guard  my  secret ;  therefore  I  will  assume 
an  air  of  nonchalance  with  all." 

"And  so,  Miss  Manton,  Judge  Blake  is  your 
grandfather?  " 

"  He  was  my  mother's  father,"  I  replied. 

"  Yes ;  and  Miss  Manton's  father  would  have 
been  a  Judge  by  this  time,  had  it  not  have  been  for 
the  horrible  war  !  " 

"  Splendid  talents !  splendid  talents,  I  assure  you, 
Mr.  Vernon,"  said  the  Judge,  "  but  obliged  to  come 
North  and  take  a  position  with  the  paltry  sum  of 
fourteen  hundred  a  year ;  and  this  young  lady,  who 
is  his  blessing  — "  but  I  excused  myself,  and  joined 


102  AfAX'S    WRONGS; 

our  party,  knowing  full  well  that  Judge  Francis 
would  leave  nothing  unsaid  in  my  favor. 

And  now  we  'drew  near  the  place  where  the 
Hudson  begins  its  passage  through  the  beautiful 
hills  called  the  "  Highlands,"  which  rise  abruptly 
fn>m  the  water;  while,  in  some  places,  vessels  fol- 
lowing the  channel  pass  so  near  the  shore  that  one 
can  almost  touch  the  cliffs  from  their  decks. 

Among  the  most  remarkable  of  these  hills  are 
Beacon,  —  so  named  from  the  signal  fires  which 
used  to  burn  on  its  summit  during  the  Revolutionary 
War,  —  "Crow's  Nest,"  "Sugar  Loaf  Mountain," 
"Anthony's  Nose,"  and  " Dunderberg,"  —  the  " Thun- 
der Chamber,"  as  it  is  called. 

Instead  of  stopping  at  West  Point,  we  concluded 
to  enjoy  the  sail  as  far  as  Newburg,  and  take  the 
return  boat  for  West  Point. 

As  Newburg  broke  upon  our  view  I  was  perfectly 
delighted  with  its  appearance.  There  it  rose  in  its 
beauty,  on  a  steep  slope,  rising,  as  Judge  Francis 
informed  us,  to  a  height  of  somewhere  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet,  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Hudson.  There  stood  the  court-house, — of  which 
Judge  Francis  was  the  Superior  Judge,  —  large  man- 


OR,    WOAfA.V'S  FOIBLES.  103 

ufactories,  foundries,  and  the  spires  of  nearly  twenty 
churches,  which  I  counted.  The  Judge  informed 
us  that  that  they  were  supplied  with  water  from 
"  Little  Pond,"  which  was  about  three  miles  dis- 
tant. 

He  also  pointed  out  an  old  stone  mansion  which 
overlooked  the  Hudson,  which,  he  said,  was  "  Wash- 
ington's Headquarters,"  and  which  was  owned  and 
kept  in  order  by  the  State.  Besides  its  association 
with  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  its  great  Chief,  the 
building  contains  numerous  interesting  relics  of  that 
period. 

When  the  boat  stopped,  the  Judge  and  his  family 
repeated  their  cordial  invitation  to  visit  them  in 
Xcwburg,  and  extended  the  invitation  also  to  all 
our  party  to  pass  a  day,  and  visit  the  old  stone  man- 
sion and  any  other  objects  of  interest. 

Sir  Henry  escorted  them  to  the  wharf.  Stop,  my 
miserably  jealous  heart! 

Do  you  see  a  rival  in  Miss  Francis  also? 

Anything  but  a  jealous  young  lady ! 

I  pity  the  man  who  weds  her,  —  and  yet  there 
is  much  of  it  in  woman's  nature ! 

She  hates  to  see  the  man  she  loves   showing  in- 


104  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

terest  in  any  other  ;  and  yet  if  he  objects  to  her  flirt- 
ing (just  for  fun  you  know  her  flirtations  are,  with 
Tom,  Richard,  and  Henry),  she  is  so  injured, — 
he  begins  to  think  he  is  the  aggressor  rather  than 
the  aggrieved  !  Oh,  what  a  compound  women  are  ! 
allowing  themselves  in  things  that  if  their  poor 
husbands  ever  dreamed  of  even,  they  would  find  no 
rest  for  their  poor  souls ! 

We  enjoyed  the  extended  trip  greatly ;  and  on 
our  return  between  Newburg  and  West  Point,  we 
dined  on  board  the  boat,  that  we  may  devote  all 
the  time  that  remained  in  seeing  the  "  lions "  at 
West  Point. 

In  the  midst  of  the  "  Highlands,"  to  which  I  have 
before  alluded,  where  the  Hudson  flows  with  so 
many  windings,  which  add  so  greatly  to  its  beauty, 
on  a  bold  promontory,  commanding  magnificent 
views  both  North  and  South,  stands  West  Point. 

This  was  an  important  fortress  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  but  its  chief  importance  is  in  its 
being  the  seat  of  the  United  States  Military  Academy. 

Near  by  stands  Mount  Independence,  about  a  mile 
to  the  south-west,  on  the  crest  of  which,  in  the  Rev- 
olution, stood  Fort  Putnam,  surrounded  on  three 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  105 

sides  by  deep  ravines  commanding  the  river,  and 
protecting  the  other  defences.  It  stood  between  five 
and  six  hundred  feet  above  the  river. 

Another  fort,  called  "  Clinton,"  stood  on  the  north- 
east side.  Most  of  the  works  were  built  under  the 
superintendence  of  Kosciusko.  I  remembered  the 
treason  of  Arnold  consisted  in  obtaining  command 
of  the  fortress  by  false  representations,  with  the  in- 
tention of  surrendering  it  to  the  British,  —  which 
scheme  was  happily  foiled  by  Andre's  arrest. 

On  landing  at  West  Point  we  turned  our  steps 
toward  the  Military  Academy.  The  buildings  are 
of  stone  ;  one,  nearly  three  hundred  feet  long,  is  de- 
signed for  military  exercise  in  the  winter.  There 
is  also  a  fine  building  of  Gothic  architecture,  with 
towers  for  astronomical  apparatus,  —  the  middle 
tower  revolving  for  an  observatory,  —  which  we 
visited.  Connected  with  the  Academy  is  the  chapel, 
hospital,  magazine,  soldiers'  barracks,  and  other 
things  too  numerous  to  mention. 

The  instruction  in  the  Academy  is  free ;  but  the 
cadet,  unless  released  by  government,  is  required 
to  serve  the  country  eight  years  after  finishing  his 
course: 


106  MAX'S   H'ROXGS; 

I  always  thought  that  any  one  who  had  a  taste 
for  military  life,  could  enter  there  and  fit  himself 
for  it ;  but  I  learned  that  every  one  who  enjoyed  its 
advantages  as  a  member  of  the  Academy,  must  be 
chosen  either  by  Congress  or  the  President. 

How  time  flies !  Before  we  had  time  to  visit 
any  other  part  of  the  place,  Mr.  Jenkins  said  we 
must  start  for  the  quay,  as  the  boat  would  be  there 
in  about  ten  minutes. 

Mr.  Vernon  escorted  me  to  the  landing,  and  said 
if  I  should  be  disengaged  the  following  evening,  he 
would  do  himself  the  honor  to  call ! 

Of  course  I  replied  that  I  had  no  engagement 
whatever,  and  that  I  should  be  very  happy  to  see 
him. 

And  here  it  is  almost  tea-time ;  so  I  will  run 
down  and  dust  the  parlor,  and  add  a  little  water  to 
my  flowers,  and  then  dress.  Shall  I  powder  just  a 
little?  No!  I  have  said  that  I  wouldn't,  and  I  will 
not,  let  the  consequence  be  what  it  will.  I  wish, 
however,  I  had  not  been  quite  so  rash  in  promising, 
as  I  should  like  to  look  brilliant,  if  such  a  thing  is 
possible !  But  it  cannot  be,  and  Sir  Henry  must 
take  me  just  as  I  am. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  107 

But  first,  let  me  reassure  myself  on  the  present 
European  sovereigns. 

I  remember  well,  —  Victoria,  Napoleon,  Francis 
Joseph,  William  First,  and  Alexander  Second.  I 
must  know  a  little  more  of  the  principal  ones,  cer- 
tainly, even  if  I  go  without  my  tea.  I  -will  not  be 
so  ignorant !  There  is  — 


Isabella  Second,  Queen  of  Spain,  who  has  so 
lately  abdicated  the  throne,  fled  into  France,  and 
taken  up  an  elegant  abode  in  Paris ;  her  first  abode 
being  the  chateau  in  which  Henry  the  Fourth  of 
France  was  born,  and  from  which  there  is  a  magni- 
ficent view  of  the  Pyrenees,  while  Spain  is  in  a 
state  of  revolution.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Fer- 
dinand Seventh,  King  of  Spain  (who  died  in  Madrid 
in  1833,  and  who  was  the  son  of  Charles  Fourth 
and  Luisa  Maria  of  Parma),  and  his  fourth  wife, 
Maria  Christina,  daughter  of  King  Francis  of  Na- 
ples. Isabella  was  a  child  of  little  more  than  three 
years  of  age  when  she  ascended  the  throne,  which 
she  obtained  by  her  father's  repealing  the  Salic  law, 
introduced  into  Spain  by  Philip  Fifth,  and  naming 
Isabella  to  succeed  him,  thus  excluding  his  brother, 


loS  MAX'S   U'ROXGS; 

Don  Carlos,  who  was  heir  presumptive  by  virtue 
of  that  law.  In  1846  she  married  her  cousin,  Don 
Francisco  cle  Assiz,  Duke  of  Cadiz,  and  son  of  Fran- 
cisco de  Paula,  brother  of  Ferdinand  Seventh. 

When  the  Spanish  throne  was  overthrown,  in 
1868,  those  who  took  possession  of  the  government 
resolved  to  call  a  Congress,  and  arranged  that  the 
members  of  this  Congress  should  be  chosen  by  the 
votes  of  the  Spaniards,  from  twenty-five  upward. 

I  'ictor  Emanttcl,  King  of  Italy,  was  born  in 
1820,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of  Charles  Albert  and 
Theresa,  daughter  of  the  late  Grand  Duke  Ferdi- 
nand of  Tuscany. 

He  has  five  children,  —  Clotilda,  wife  of  Prince 
Napoleon  Jerome ;  Humbert,  Prince  of  Piedmont ; 
Amadeus,  Duke  of  Aosta ;  Otho,  Duke  of  Mont- 
ferrat ;  and  Maria  Pia. 

Twenty  years  ago  he  was  king  only  of  Sardinia, 
while  the  rest  of  the  country  was  under  the  control 
of  the  Pope,  the  house  of  Bourbon,  and  the  Aus- 
trians,  as  well  as  of  lesser  sovereigns,  —  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Tuscany,  the  Duke  of  Modena,  and  the 
Duke  of  Parma. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  IQ<) 

Now  he  is  King  of  Italy  ;  and  his  kingdom  in- 
cludes the  entire  peninsula  except  a  small  part  under 
the  Pope,  and  the  island  of  Sicily. 

In  acquiring  Italy  he  adopted  Napoleon  Third's 
practice  of  referring  different  political  questions  to 
the  inhabitants  of  the  country  ;  and,  by  this  suffrage, 
the  Tuscans,  Sicilians,  Neapolitans,  and  Romagnese 
decided  to  become  his  subjects. 

The  revolution  which  effected  this,  in  1861,  was 
directed  by  Garibaldi,  accompanied  by  whom  Victor 
Emanuel  entered  Naples  in  triumph,  and  was  de- 
clared King  of  Italy.  But  the  feelings  of  the  people 
toward  the  King  are  undergoing  a  great  change. 

The  Italian  Parliament  is  holding  a  stormy  session. 

The  grist-mill  tax  has  caused  serious  disturbance. 
The  mills  are  closed  ;  the  peasants  have  ceased  their 
labors,  and  march  in  procession,  uttering  seditious 
cries.  They  have  sacked  the  palaces,  poured  out 
the  wine  from  the  wine-shops,  and  resisted  the  troops 
sent  to  disperse  them.  The  country  is  quiet  now ; 
but  the  tax,  although  small,  is  felt  to  be  grievous. 
Italy  is  passing  through  another  crisis  in  her  history. 

John,  King  of  Saxony^  son  of  the  Duke  Max- 


110  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

imihnn  and  the  Princess  of  Parma,  was  born  in  1801, 
and  succeeded  his  brother  Frederic  Augustus  in  1854. 
His  wife  is  a  daughter  of  Maximilian  of  Bavaria. 

His  eldest  daughter  married  the  Duke  of  Genoa, 
a  brother  of  the  King  of  Sardinia,  who  died  in  1855. 
His  eldest  son,  Frederic  Augustus  Albert,  married 
a  daughter  of  Prince  Gustavus  Vasa. 

William  Third,  King  of  the  Netherlands,  succeeded 
his  father,  William  Second.  He  was  born  in  1817, 
educated  in  England,  and  married  in  1839  the  Prin- 
cess Sophia  of  Wurtemburg.  In  1849  he  ascended 
the  throne.  He  has  two  sons,  William  Prince  of 
Orange,  born  in  1840,  and  Prince  Alexander,  born 
in  1851.  And  beside  all  these,  there  are  — 

Charles  Fifteenth,  King  of  Norway  and  Sweden  ; 
Christian  Ninth,  King  of  Denmark ;  Louis,  King 
of  Portugal ;  Louis  Second,  King  of  Bavaria ;  Leo- 
pold Second,  King  of  Belgium  ;  Frederic,  Grand 
Duke  of  Baden  ;  Charles  First,  King  of  Wurtem- 
burg; George  First,  King  of  Hellenes;  Charles, 
Prince  of  Roumania,  and  Abdul  Aziz  Khan,  Sultan 
of  Turkey. 

If  I  can  remember  the  names  of  the  kinjrs  over 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  r  t  r 

these   smaller  kingdoms,  it  will  be  all  I  can  do  at 
present. 

Dear  me,  it  is  six  o'clock,  and  I  have  done  noth- 
ing, scarcely.  How  my  heart  beats  as  the  time 
draws  near  for  Sir  Henry  to  make  his  appearance ! 


112  MAN'S  WRONGS; 


IX. 

T  AST  evening,  as  soon  as  I  had  supped,  I  ran 
••— *  up  stairs  and  read  over  a  few  times  the  names 
of  the  kings  and  queens  which  I  had  selected,  when 
the  thought  occurred,  —  but  who  are  some  of  the 
great  men  and  women  of  the  past  as  well  as  the 
present  age? 

To  think  of  any  but  Scott  and  Shakespeare  I  could 
not ;  and  though  I  blush  to  own  it,  I  knew  but  little 
more  of  these  than  the  name  ! 

Tell  it  not  in  Gath,  for  I  really  considered  myself 
quite  a  finished  young  lady.  This  will  never  do, 
thought  I.  I  must  turn  over  a  new  leaf  at  once,  rise 
up  early  in  the  morning,  and  see  if  I  cannot  acquire 
such  information  as  will  enable  me  to  be  something 
more  than  an  ignoramus,  in  my  own  estimation  at 
least !  If  I  can  only  remember  some  of  our  own 
great  men,  it  will  be  better  than  nothing;  but  so 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  r  13 

many  of  them  are  Northerners  that  I  never  felt  much 
interest  in  them,  to  tell  the  truth,  though  I  must  own 
to  admiring  the  writings,  if  not  the  men ! 

There  are  Longfellow  and  Whittier ;  yes !  and 
Webster  and  Everett.  I  admire  these  last  two  ;  for 
Webster  !  isn't  he  the  greatest  statesman  that  Amer- 
ica ever  produced?  and  Everett  —  didn't  ma  and 
I  tease  pa  to  vote  for  him  and  our  own  loved  Bell? 
Yes  !  and  he  would  not  do  it,  even  to  please  us ! 

Now  if  the  women  could  have  voted  then,  there 
would  have  been  no  war,  and  I  should  not  be  living 
in  Harlem ! 

But  then  I  should  never  have  seen  Sir  Henry,  — 
so  I  suppose  it  is  all  for  the  best  that  the  women  can't 
vote ;  for  they  would  surely  be  putting  themselves 
in  office. 

Then  there  is  Mrs.  Stowe  —  I  suppose  they  call 
her  a  great  woman  !  I  do  not  see  why  !  It  was  not 
the  story  itself  of  poor  uncle  Tom  that  was  so  supe- 
rior, but  the  writing  it  just  at  that  time,  when  all 
the  Northerners  were  so  anxious  to  cast  out  their 
Southern  brothers'  mote,  that  they  did  not  see  their 
own  beam !  They  were  almost  insane  upon  the 
theme  of  Slavery;  and  when  this  book  appeared  to 
8 


H4  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

fan  the  flame  already  kindled  into  a  fire,  and  to  make 
men  believe  that  every  one  of  us  Southerners  were 
abusing  our  poor  blacks,  —  when  there  is  hardly  one 
among  us  who  would  begin  to  treat  our  slaves  as 
they  treat  the  poor  among  them, —  they  fall  upon  the 
book  with  such  enthusiasm  as  to  enroll  its  writer 
among  the  names  of  the  greatest  writers  of  the 
age! 

I  will  admit,  however,  that  she  must  have  a  stronger 
head  than  most  women,  or  it  would  be  turned  by  such 
adulation  !  As  everybody  says  she  is  great^  I  sup- 
pose what  everybody  says  must  be  true  ! 

Then  there  is  Beecher !  I  must  say,  after  all,  if 
I  am  a  Southerner,  I  like  Beecher !  I  wish  we 
could  afford  to  sit  under  his  preaching. 

But  it  is  with  this,  as  with  everything  else :  those 
who  are  blessed  with  money,  have  a  host  of  other 
blessings.  They  can  hear  the  best  preachers,  hold 
the  best  pews,  ride  when  they  are  tired,  eat  when 
they  are  hungry,  marry  whom  they  choose,  while 
I  —  poor  wight ! 

"  Miss  Manton."  A  gentle  tap  on  my  door.  On 
opening  it,  Rose  handed  me  a  card,  bearing  the 
name  of  Sir  Henry  Stuart  Vernon ! 


OR,     WOMAN'S    FOIBLES.  u^ 

I  shall  not  tell  you  where  I  hid  it,  dear  Diary ; 
but  I  assure  you  it  was  in  the  safest  imaginable 
place,  and  one  which  it  would  puzzle  a  lawyer  to 
find. 

By  the  time  I  reached  the  foot  of  the  staircase, 
kings,  queens,  great  men  and  women,  had  all  van- 
ished into  thin  air. 

As  I  entered  our  wee  .parlor,  Sir  Henry  rose  to 
meet  me. 

After  exchanging  the  usual  salutations,  he  informed 
me  that  his  friend  Arthur  had  gone  to  call  on  Miss 
Maverick,  and  invited  him  to  accompany  Jiim  ;  but 
he  plead  a  previous  engagement. 

We  talked  over  our  trip  of  the  previous  day,  — 
the  beautiful  scenery  on  the  Hudson,  Judge  Francis 
and  his  family. 

"  I  am  greatly  surprised  to  learn  that  Judge  Blake 
is  your  grandfather ;  and,  now  that  I  have  been 
made  acquainted  with  the  fact,  I  see  how  much 
you  resemble  him.  Does  he  remain  long  in  Eng- 
land?" Sir  Henry  inquired. 

"A  few  months  only,"  I  replied.  "I  hope  to 
have  the  pleasure  of  visiting  Europe  before  his 
return." 


Il6  MAWS    WRONGS; 

"  If  I  should  be  in  England  during  your  visit, 
Miss  Manton,  it  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to 
welcome  you  to  Helm  Lodge,"  said  Sir  Henry. 

I  thanked  him,  but  it  was  all  I  could  say.  To 
tell  the  truth,  —  I  may  as  well  confess  my  miserable 
secret  at  once,  —  my  whole  heart  is  his  !  Yes,  if  you 
can  credit  it,  given  without  asking !  Is  not  my  state 
truly  deplorable?  And  he  —  plighted  to  another! 

I  wish  I  could  fly  away  from  myself  and  every 
other  body,  for  I  blush  at  my  own  weakness.  It 
is  of  no  use  ;  help  it  I  cannot.  I  have  tried  my 
utmost  to.  conquer  my  love,  by  calling  my  pride,  my 
principle,  to  my  aid ;  but  I  may  as  well  call  upon 
the  waters.  I  have  fully  proved  that  nothing  will 
quench  my  deep,  pure  love  for  Sir  Henry  ! 

What  a  record  against  myself!  Poor,  unworthy 
me  !  What  would  grandpa  say,  should  he  divine 
my  secret? 

I  fear  it  would  be  a  long  day  before  he  would 
invite  me  to  visit  him ! 

Sir  Henry  asked  me  to  favor  him  with  a  song. 
Of  course  I  replied,  "  Certainly,  if  you  wisli ; "  and, 
rising,  he  accompanied  me  to  the  piano. 

After  singing  several  plaintive  songs,  and   oue  or 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  "7 

two  duets,  pa  and  ma  entered.  After  the  usual 
form  of  introduction,  —  I  cannot  tell  how,  —  the 
subject  of  "  Woman's  Rights,"  the*  principal  topic 
of  the  day,  was  introduced. 

I  kept  myself  a  little  in  the  background,  as  much 
so  as  modesty  would  suggest,  leaving  pa  and  ma 
to  engross  the  conversation,  save  when  Sir  Henry 
turned  upon  me  an  inquiring  look. 

Pa   asked   Sir   Henry's   opinion. 

"To  tell  you  the  plain  truth,  sir,"  Mr.  Vernon 
replied,  "  I  think  the  great  question  of  the  present 
day  should  be  men's  rights  or  wrongs,  whichever 
you  may  be  pleased  to  call  them.  These  are  lost 
sight  of.  You  hear  of  nothing,  at  the  present  time, 
but  the  clamor  of  women  for  their  rights,  social  and 
political ;  but  if  woman  wishes  to  be  woman,  if  she 
wishes  to  fill  the  place  for  which  God  has  designed 
her,  —  that  cf  a  loving  wife  and  mother,  —  let  her 
forever  flee  the  polls ! 

4i  If  there  is  any  one  revolting  thought,  anything 
that  would  make  man  turn  from  woman  with  loath- 
ing, it  is  when  he  shall  see  her  standing  around  the 
corners  of  the  streets,  surrounded  by  a  group  of 
men,  anxious  to  buy  her  vote  ;  bantering,  ridiculing 


Ufl^U)     till 


n8  AfAX'S  WRONGS; 

her,  offering  every  species  of  indignity.  And  who 
has  she  to  thank  but  herself  ?  Spanish  and  Irish, 
German  and  French,  Yankees  and  Creoles,  —  black 
and  white,  all  in  one  grand  conglomeration  ! 
They  gave  proof  of  their  ability  to  govern  by  their 
dignified  behavior  at  their  convention  yesterday ! 
Ah,  don't  mention  it,  sir ;  don't  mention  it." 

"  How  is  it,  then,"  said  my  father,  pleasantly, 
"  that  you  allow  a  woman  at  the  head  of  your 
great  nation?" 

"Wrong,  altogether  wrong!"  said  Sir  Henry;  — 
"  a  remnant  of  the  dark  ages.  Not  that  I  would 
say  aught  against  our  beloved  Queen,  for  she  is  a 
true  woman,  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  I  don't 
know  that  she  has  an  enemy  in  the  world  ;  but  still 
it  is  my  honest  conviction  that  woman  is  out  of  the 
place  for  which  God  designed  her,  when  she  has, 
not  only  a  voice,  but  the  reins  of  government  in 
her  hand. 

"  And  what  would  queens  achieve  were  not  man 
her  prime  minister,  and  the  controlling  agent  of  her 
government? 

"  Throughout  the  Bible  man  is  spoken  of,  nay, 
constituted,  the  head  of  woman. 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  IIO, 

"  This  is  one  of  the  most  bitter  truths  that  the  poor 
human  nature  in  woman  is  willing  to  admit;  for  I 
really  believe  that  nine  women  out  of  ten  think  them- 
selves a  little  superior  to  the  men  in  everything!" 

"Oh,  Mr.  Vernon,  how  can  you?"  said  I. 

••  Ah  !  Miss  Manton,  you  and  your  honored  mother 
belong  to  the  class  that  remain  over  the  nine !  "  said 
Sir  Henry  ;  at  which  remark  we  all  joined  in  a  hearty 
laugh. 

"  What  do  you  think,  Mr.  Vernon,"  said  pa,  "  of  the 
remark  made  by  one  of  our  famous  lady  writers  "  (we 
had  learned  that  Gail  was  the  nom  de  plume  of  a 
lady!),  "' Wherever  man  pays  reverence  to  woman, 
—  wherever  any  man  feels  the  influence  of  woman 
purifying,  chastening,  abashing,  strengthening  him 
against  temptation,  shielding  him  from  evil,  minister- 
ing to  his  self-respect,  medicining  his  weariness, 
peopling  his  solitude,  winning  him  from  sordid 
prizes,  enlivening  his  monotonous  days  with  mirth, 
or  fancy,  or  wit,  flashing  heaven  upon  his  earth,  and 
mellowing  it  all  for  spiritual  fertility,  —  there  is  the 
element  of  marriage.'" 

••Well  sir!    first  let  me  ask  if  the  writer  of  this 

• 

sentence  was  ever  married?  and,  secondly,  taking  it 


120  A/l-l.VS   U'KONGS; 

for  granted  that  she  has  been,  whether  her  husband 
can  endorse  these  sentiments  from  his  own  experi- 
ence?" 

"This  I  cannot  answer,  sir,"  pa  replied,  "but  I 
should  like  to  ask  you  if  you  can  point  me  to  a  single 
passage  in  Holy  Writ  where  man  is  commanded,  or 
even  permitted,  to  reverence  woman?" 

"  Xo  sir,"  said  Mr.  Vernon. 

"  If  I  read  my  Bible  correctly,  it  makes  it  incum- 
bent on  the  wife  to  see  that  she  reverence  her  hus- 
band! She  must  learn  in  silence,  with  all  subjection. 
She  is  not  suffered  to  teach  or  usurp  authority  over 
the  man,  but  to  be  in  silence !  She  is  to  submit  her- 
self unto  her  husband  as  unto  the  Lord !  For  the 
husband  is  the  head  of  the  wife,  even  as  Christ  is  the 
head  of  the  Church. 

"  Now  sir,  I  am  free  to  confess  that  it  is  a  hard 
truth  for  poor  weak  woman  to  consider  her  husband, 
if  she  loves  him  ever  so  well,  as  her  liege  lord,  and 
I  doubt  not  her  whole  being  revolts  at  it ;  but  my  own 
private  opinion  is,  that  it  is  a  part  of  the  punish- 
ment entailed  on  all  the  children  of  E~cc! 

"  But  it  is  written  in  unmistakable  characters,  and 
it  cannot  be  blotted  out,  '  Man  is  a  superior  being  to 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  I2i 

woman  ; '  and  whoso  reads  his  Bible,  and  receives  it 
as  God's  Word,  must  not  only  receive  the  unwelcome 
truth,  but  must  live  according  to  it ! " 

"  But,  sir,"  said  ma,  —  who  had  been  silent  till  this 
moment,  — "  but,  sir,  you  must  remember  that  hus- 
bands have  their  duties  !  " 

"  Very  true,  very  true,  my  love,"  said  pa ;  "  we 
will  discuss  the  duties  of  husbands  at  some  other 
time. 

'•  \Ve  men  make  no  pretensions. 

"We  know  and  feel  that  we  are  poor,  weak, 
conceited  mortals,  as  much  so,  every  whit,  as 
woman ;  but  the  point  we  are  now  discussing  is 
'  Woman's  Rights?  We  have  yet  to  learn  whether 
it  belongs  to  her  to  take  up  politics  as  a  study ! 
In  my  own  judgment,  no  one  should  be  allowed 
the  privilege  of  the  polls  unless  they  are  educated 
enough  to  understand  the  principles  of  each  party 
represented. 

"  Simply  being  able  to  read  and  write  is  no  evi- 
dence at  all  of  fitness. 

"  Scarcely  a  child  of  twelve  years  of  age  but  can 
read  and  write  as  well  as  most  persons  at  twenty,  — 
but  this  would  not  prove  a  child  was  fit  to  vote ! 


122  MAX'S  WRONGS; 

"  If  I  am  to  be  governed,  I  desire  a  ruler  who  is 
worthy  of  my  respect, — one  who  will  show  that  he 
has  the  good  of  the  nation  at  heart.  He  must  be  a 
man  of  sound  sense  and  discrimination. 

"  I  low  many  of  those  who  vote  at  the  present 
day  know  of,  or  care  for,  such  fitness?" 

"  Ninety-nine  out  of  one  hundred,"  said  pa,  "  vote 
because  it  is  their  ticket,  or  their  friends'  ticket ;  or, 
again,  they  expect  to  receive  a  good  office,  —  this 
latter  I  think  the  ruling  motive.  Some  sell  their 
vote  for  a  large  price ;  but  when  woman  comes  to 
the  rescue,  where,  oh  where,  will  our  country  be?" 

"Why  is  it,  then,"  said  Sir  Henry,  "that  the 
feeling  seems  to  be  widening  and  deepening  in  favor 
of  this  subject?" 

"  I  cannot  answer,  sir ;  save  that  if  woman  un- 
dertakes a  thing,  such  is  her  indomitable  perse- 
verance, she  generally  carries  the  clay  ! 

"There  may  be  another  reason,  also,"  said  pa. 
"  Take  the  large  majority  of  women,  and  while  their 
husbands  are  absent  in  the  evening,  attending  lec- 
tures, —  sitting  in  some  reading-room,  or  bar-room, 
perchance,  or  snugly  ensconced  at  the  theatre, — 
the  poor  wife,  who  never  knows  when  her  work  is 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  r  33 

done,  is  at  home,  tending  the  baby,  mending  the 
clothes ;  in  fact,  doing  anything  but  enjoying  a 
leisure  hour  in  reading.  .. 

"  If  she  finds  time  to  read  a  few  verses  in  her 
Bible  before  she  retires,  it  is  all  that  she  can  do." 

"  Ah  !  "  replied  ma,  "  you  have  hit  the  true  rea- 
son, dear.  I  think  myself  this  is  the  why  and 
wherefore  so  many  in  our  land  are  rising  to  assert 
what  they  consider  their  rights.  I  have  heard  some 
of  these  women  defending  their  position  on  the  plea 
that  they  knew  no  variety  in  life,  —  no  change  of 
any  kind,  —  but  the  same  humdrum  existence  the 
year  in  and  the  year  out ! 

"  The  large  majority  not  only  have  the  care  of 
their  house,  —  cooking,  washing,  ironing,  making 
and  mending,  but  the  care  of  their  infant  children 
beside,  —  which  latter  care  the  poor  husbands  would 
think  enough  in  itself  to  kill  any  man  of  moderate 
strength ! 

"  In  many  cases  these  husbands  will  come  home 
at  night  without  a  word  of  sympathy  or  kindness ; 
and,  instead  of  bringing  some  interesting  book  from 
the  library,  and  reading  to  the  poor  wife  as  she 
plies  the  needle  with  her  weary  fingers  for  him  and 


124  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

his,  he  will  leave  his  tea-table  as  soon  as  he  has  sat- 
isfied his  demands,  having  taken  every  choice  bit  that 
was  before  him,  utterly  regardless  of  her  whom  he  has 
promised  to  love  as  his  own  body,  whether  she  has 
much  or  little  herself  to  eat ;  and,  instead  of  amusing 
his  little  ones,  —  which  it  is  as  much  his  duty  to  do 
as  her  own, — and  relieving  her  weary  frame  for 
an  hour,  perhaps,  he  takes  his  hat,  often  with  the 
only  remark,  '  I  must  be  out  of  this  I '  and  leaves 
her  solitary  and  alone." 

"  But,"  said  Mr.  Vcrnon,  "  must  not  women  blame 
themselves,  to  some  extent,  for  the  indifferent  treat- 
ment which  they  often  receive  from  their  husbands? 
During  the  first  few  months  of  married  life  they 
are  very  careful  to  be  dressed  in  the  most  becoming 
style,  —  to  arrange  their  hair  with  the  greatest  care, 
—  to  be  decked  with  collars  and  cuffs  of  snowy 
whiteness.  They  are  not  only  punctual  at  break- 
fast, but  are  very  careful  that  their  husband's  taste 
shall  be  gratified  in  every  article  of  diet;  in  a 
word,  they  treat  him  as  if  they  loved  him  better 
than  themselves. 

"Now,  in  my  opinion,  if  women  continued  to  show 
this  lovingkindness,  they  would  seldom  find  occa- 


OR,    U'O.lfAN'S  FOIBLES.  125 

sion  to  complain  of  indifference  on  the  part  of  men  ; 
for  any  man  with  a  soul  would  appreciate  such  a 
wife. 

"After  the  first  six  months  of  married  life,  the 
majority  of  women  will  go  down  to  breakfast  with 
thc-ir  hair  in  papers  or  braids,  —  a  soiled  collar,  — 
slatternly  in  their  whole  appearance. 

"  In  a  short  time  they  find  it  impossible  to  rise  so 
early  ;  and,  if  their  husband  must  go  to  his  business 
at  such  an  unseasonable  hour,  they  think  it  quite 
as  well  for  him  to  breakfast  alone  ;  and  so  on,  from 
step  to  step,  till  the  poor  husband  finds  that  his  fond 
anticipations  of  happiness  were  but  an  idle  dream  ; 
consequently  he  determines  to  become  indifferent, 
and  evince  no  pleasure  in  one  so  utterly  unworthy 
to  bear  the  name  of  wife.  This  is  a  sad  but  true 
picture  of  many  a  wedded  pair.  And  poor  man 
must  bear  the  blame.  The  world  cannot  look  be- 
hind the  curtain,  and  see  the  why  and  wherefore, — 
so,  of  course,  the  husband  is  denounced  as  an  un- 
feeling, horrid  creature !  Woman  carries  on  the 
deception  by  shaking  her  head  in  a  knowing  man- 
ner, and  saying  to  every  young  lady  who  is  thinking 
of  matrimony,  '  If  you  only  knew  when  you  were 


126  Af.-l.V'S    U'fiOXGS; 

well  off,  you  would  trust  no  man  ! '  And  thus  man 
is  driven  from  the  little  spot  which  would  be  the 
dearest  spot  on  earth  to  him,  if  his  wife  would 
make  it  '  Howe,  sicccf  Jfomc.'  " 

"I  agree  with  you,  sir,"  replied  ma,  "that  there 
are  many  such  cases  to  be  deplored  ;  still,  I  think 
that  woman's  nature,  as  a  whole,  is  to  be  kind  to 
those  who  show  love  and  sympathy  to  her.  I  speak 
of  the  middle  and  lower  walks  of  life ;  for,  I  am 
sorry  to  say,  there  is  but  little  of  love,  or  even  true 
friendship,  among  the  higher  classes. 

"  As  I  before  said,  sir,  nine  out  of  ten  who  favor 
'  "Woman's  Rights,'  do  it  to  make  a  change  in  their 
daily  course.  They  feel  that  they  shall  then  be 
treated  with  more  deference  and  respect,  even  though 
it  may  be  feigned  !  Their  husbands  will  be  obliged 
to  dress  them  handsomely,  to  save  themselves  from 
sarcastic  remark ! 

"  The  poor  women  know  also  that  they  must 
attend  the  political  meetings ;  and  if  their  spouse 
pretend  to  question  the  necessity,  they  will,  no  doubt, 
assure  him  that  they  are  now  his  equal,  and  he 
may  take  his  turn  in  staying  at  home  to  mind  the 
children,  —  for  it  is  very  important  that  she  should 


WOMAN'S  FOIBLES. 


12j 


be  enlightened  on  politics,  that  she  may  know  how 
to  vote.  She  must  judge  for  herself!  For  you 
know,  Mr.  Vernon,  that  all  women  do  not  agree 
with  their  husbands  in  politics." 

"  True,  madam,  but  I  trust  they  are  few  !  for  a 
difference  on  this  point  often  engenders  bitter  feelings 
which  not  even  time  will  eradicate.  My  opinion 
is,  from  what  I  have  seen  since  my  sojourn  in 
America,  that  when  the  women  go  to  the  polls  they 
will  rule,  —  and  you  will  have  seen  the  last  Repub- 
lican President.  There  is  not  a  doubt  that  the 
Democrats  will  carry  all  before  them. 

"  Of  course  I  am  not  prepared  to  say  that  their 
rule  would  not  be  as  salutary  for.  the  country  as  that 
of  the  Republicans  ! 

"  I  must  say,  however,  that,  next  to  religion,  I 
should  desire  my  wife  to  be  with  me  in  politics  !  " 

How  I  wanted  to  ask  him  if  the  Lady  Alice 
Irving  was  a  woman  who  would  be  willing  to  yield 
her  own  cherished  opinions  to  those  of  her  husband  ; 
but  I  dare  not  trust  myself  to  speak  her  name.  I 
could  see  that  ma  was  a  little  uneasy  ;  for,  though 
a  more  devoted  pair  never  lived  than  pa  and  ma, 
yet  they  were  far  apart  in  politics.  Ma,  however, 


128  .V.I.V.V 

adroitly  changed  the  theme,  by  speaking  of  the 
sentiment  already  advanced,  —  man's  referencing 
woman ! 

"  I  believe,"  said  Sir  Henry,  "  that  man  not  only 
does,  but  always  will  entertain  the  highest  respect  for 
woman,  whether  he  admit  it  or  not,  as  long  as  she  is 
worthy  of  it ;  but  reverence  is  altogether  different 
from  respect. 

"  We  apply  the  term  reverence  to  beings  of  a  su- 
perior nature.  God  says  that  man  is  such." 

I  thought,  though  I  dare  not  utter  my  thought, 
that  I  wish  I  could  receive  this  truth  with  the  ready 
acquiescence  with  which  all  God's  commands  should 
be  received  ;  but  I  must  confess  I  am  a  trifle  rebel- 
lious on  this  point. 

The  very  idea  of  some  of  the  miserable  fops  of 
the  present  age  having  a  superior  nature  to  ours! 

But  Sir  Henry  was  talking  of  men,  not  fops!  — 
their  nature  is  fallen  and  degraded ! 

I  must  own  that  I  am  willing  to  concede  that  Sir 
Henry  is  my  superior,  as  also  a  few  others  of  my 
acquaintance ;  but  these  men  are  very  few. 

If  man  really  came  up  to  the  Gospel  standard,  I 
don't  think  mv  heart  would  rebel  as  it  does. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  129 

"But,"  said  Sir  Henry,  "I  am  free  to  admit  that 
the  men  of  to-day  are  not  the  men  of  Bible  days. 

"  The  present  race  of  men  have  fallen,  as  the 
angels  did,  from  their  first  estate.  Much  of  their 
nature's  degradation  is  owing  to  accufsed  pride. 
And  has  not  woman  presented  him  with  this  apple 
also?  A  proud  man  is  an  anomaly!  Such  of 
them  as  are  really  deserving  the  appellation,  are 
ever  found  to  have  a  weak  spot  in  their  brain.  By 
nature,  man  is  too  noble  to  be  proud  ! 

"  It  is  his  association  with  woman  that  has  made 
him  what  he  is  in  this  respect. 

"  You  ladies,"  said  Sir  Henry,  "  will  excuse  my 
plainness;  for  I  am  speaking  now  of  men  and 
women  as  a  class. 

"  Since  the  deterioration  of  the  race,  woman,  the 
moment  she  becomes  acquired  of  an  increase  in 
this  world's  goods,  begins  to  feel  her  importance, 
and  the  weaker  her  intellect  the  more  glaring  her 
folly. 

"  Does  she  become  the  possessor  of  ten  thousand, 

she  feels,  from  that  moment,  that  she  is  superior  to 

her    friend  who  has  only  five  thousand  ;    when    she 

arrives  at   twenty^   she    looks   down   upon   her  who 

9 


1 30  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

has  arrived  only  to  ten  thousand,  and  soon:  unless 
the  one  with  five  or  ten,  perchance,  belong  to  some 
old  aristocratic  family,  or  have  some  near  relative 
who  is  a  professional  gentleman,  and  to  whom,  could 
they  but  share  his  title,  they  would  be  willing  to 
yield  the  whole  of  their  patrimony !  —  preferring 
vastly  to  be  Mrs.,  —  the  lawyer  or  the  doctor's  wife, 
—  than  poor  Miss,  with  no  one  to  whom  they  can 
bequeath  their  twenty  thousand. 

"/These  poor  deluded  women  rear  families,  bring- 
ing them  up  with  false  notions  of  what  constitutes 
true  greatness. 

"  These  boys  and  girls  become  men  and  women, 
again  instilling  their  feelings  into  the  minds  of  their 
children  ;  and  though  men,  as  they  grow  older,  and 
go  out  into  the  world,  if  they  have  an  otherwise 
well-balanced  mind,  rise  above  these  foolish  notions, 
yet  with  women  they  are  inherent,  and  seem  to  be 
a  part  of  their  being. 

"  Take,  for  instance,  the  members  of  one  family,  — 
which,  in  England,  is  frequently  seen,  and  I  doubt 
not  may  be  found  as  often  on  America's  shore. 

"A  father,  with  a  moderate  fortune,  procures  a 
fine  business  situation  for  his  sons.  They  go  on  for 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  131 

a  while,  prospering  in  their  business ;  marry,  have 
a  family  around  them,  and  are  on  the  most  intimate 
terms  with  one  another. 

"  Suddenly  one  of  the  brothers  die,  leaving  a 
moderate  fortune  for  his  wife  and  little  ones.  They 
must  retrench  their  expenses ;  move  into  a  smaller 
house,  and  commence  the  trying  life  of  economy. 
The  other  brothers  go  on  amassing  wealth. 

"  They  soon  remove  into  larger  and  more  expen- 
sive quarters. 

"  Their  children  must  now  make  their  entree  into 
society.  Everything  must  be  in  style  to  correspond 
with  their  father's  position  in  the  mercantile  com- 
munity. 

"  Now  comes  up  the  dreaded  question,  '  Shall 
we  invite  our  nieces  to  the  party?' 

" '  Certainly,'  replied  the  father.  '  Why  do  you 
ask  such  a  question  ? ' 

"  '  Because,'  replies  the  wife,  '  I  think  they  would 
be  out  of  place.' 

" '  They  are  known  to  be  in  depressed  circum- 
stances, and  have  no  garments  in  which  it  would 
be  suitable  to  appear.' 

"  '  I  don't  know  about  this,'  answered  the  husband. 


132  MAA"S    WRONGS; 

'  They  are  as  highly  educated  in  every  respect  as 
our  own  children,  and  would  appear  quite  as  well. 

"  '  They  need  not  be  over-dressed,  but  modestly, 
and  yet  well  enough  not  to  attract  attention.  Per- 
haps, by  our  notice,  they  will  continue  to  receive 
attention  on  our  account,  and  may  thus  secure  some 
desirable  partner  for  life.' 

" '  It  is  no  use  for  you  to  talk  thus,'  replied  the 
loving  wife.  '  Anything  but  being  obliged  to  have 
one's  poor  relations  ever  hanging  around ;  it  will 
only  instil  envy  into  their  hearts,  and  numerous 
other  sins  beside.  Then,  Mr.  S.  and  Mr.  L.  will 
be  here,  and  what  will  they  think,  to  meet  persons 
so  humbly  situated  in  life?'  Could  she  have  looked 
for  a  moment  into  the  heart  of  Mr.  S.,  whom  she 
was  endeavoring  to  secure  for  her  own  daughter, 
she  would  have  found  herself  greatly  mistaken  in 
the  motives  that  would  actuate  him  in  the  choice 
of  a  wife ! 

"  And  thus  this  wife  and  mother  gains  the  ascend- 
ancy over  her  husband,  quiets  his  conscience,  and 
he  goes  away  to  his  counting-room. 

"  A  month  or  two  after  the  papers  herald  a  dona- 
tion from  Mr. ,  of  fifty  thousand,  to  Oxford,  — 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  133 

the    world    read    in   astonishment,  —  and    bitter    are 
the  remarks  made  at  his  expense  ! 

"  '  Better  have  given  it  to  his  brother's  widow ! 
Would  you  believe  it?  He  gave  a  large  party  a 
few  weeks  since,  and  slighted  his  own  relations 
because  they  were  not  wealthy ! ' 

••  And  yet  this  poor  man,"  said  Sir  Henry,  "  was 
more  sinned  against  than  sinning! 

"  If  the  woman  whom  God  gave  him  to  be  a 
helpmeet  had  encouraged  rather  than  tempted  him  ; 
using  her  influence,  —  'strengthening  him  against 
temptation,'  if  he  had  have  been  weak  enough  to  be 
thus  tempted,  —  had  she,  with  the  instinct  of  a  true 
woman,  as  God  made  her  to  be,  plead  the  cause 
of  those  poor  afflicted  ones,  and  have  said  to  her 
husband,  '  Instead  of  giving  fifty  thousand  to  Oxford, 
settle  the  amount  on  your  brother's  widow  and  or- 
phans, and  let  it  be  known  that  when  the  girls  are 
married  you  will  give  them  a  dowry,  for  they  are 
fitted  to  grace  any  circle  ! 

"  '  Remember,  my  dear   husband,  the   old   adage, 

"  Charity  begins  at  home  !  "  and  though  your  name 

•» 
may  not  be  enrolled   among  the  munificent   donors 

to   our   seminaries,   yet,  when   your   last   hour   shall 


I34  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

'  come,  it  will  be  found  entered  on  that  great  book 
where  the  angel  records  the  good  as  well  as  the  evil 
deeds,'  how  different  the  result ! 

"  Any  woman  who  would  act  thus,  I  should  think 
worthy  to  receive  the  highest  place  in  the  esteem 
of  man. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say,"  continued  Sir  Henry,  "  that 
wromen  do  not  often  show  such  phases  of  char- 
acter. In  this  respect  she  merits  anything  but  the 
reverence  of  her  husband  ! 

"  Christian  women,  too,  have  reason  to  mourn 
day  after  day  for  indulging  in  pride.  Many  of  them, 
though,  have  so  benumbed  their  conscience  as  to 
consider  it  a  virtue  rather  than  a  vice  ! 

"  Until  woman  is  divested  of  this  weak,  crying 
sin  of  the  age,  she  is  not  worthy  the  reverence  of 
man. 

"  Once  let  man  take  an  independent  stand,  and 
say  he  despises  any  woman  who  is  puflcd  up  with 
her  own  importance,  and  there  would  very  soon  be 
a  new  era  among  us ! 

"  The  idea  of  -woman's  shielding  man  from 
evil! 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES. 


*35 


"  I  have  no  patience  with  such  sentiments,"  said 
Sir  Henry. 

"  This  writer,  whoever  she  may  be,  is  laboring 
against  the  mighty  truths  of  Scripture,  and  reversing 
the  order  of  things.  She  is  not  content  with  holding 
up  woman  as  she  is,  hut  she  will  not  rest  until  she 
makes  her  the  head  of  man  ! 

"  I  always  considered  it  the  privilege  of  the 
greater  to  shield  the  weaker. 

"  I  am  willing  to  admit,  however,  that  woman, 
under  some  circumstances,  has  it  in  her  power,  at 
times,  to  shield  men  from  evil ! 

"  The  husband,  if  he  is  worthy  the  name  of  hus- 
band, shoidd  shield  his  wife  from  every  evil ;  and, 
if  she  is  like  the  woman  that  King  Lemuel  de- 
scribes, he  will  delight  to  do  it ! 

"  My  theory  is,"  said  Sir  Henry,  "  that  when  two 
arc  united  in  that  perfect  love  of  which  the  Bible 
speaks,  —  each  filling  their  own  sphere,  as  desig- 
nated by  the  words  of  Holy  Writ,  —  then  you  have 
the  true  element  of  marriage.  If  we  are  permitted 
to  live  in  the  Millennium,  we  shall  then  see  men 
and  women  in  their  true  characters ! 

"  They  will    then  be  just  as  God    made  and   de- 


136  .l/J.VS   IVKONGS; 

signed  them  to  be,  —  ' /«  honor' preferring  one 
another!'" 

\Ve  all  agreed  with  Sir  Henry,  that  we  hoped  we 
may  live  to  see  that  happy- time. 

The  evening  was  now  far  advanced,  and  Sir  Henry 
rose  to  leave,  not  without  receiving  a  cordial  invi- 
tation to  visit  us  as  often  as  his  many  engagements 
would  allow. 

lie  said  he  should  pass  the  remainder  of  the  month 
only  in  New  York,  as  he  must  then  leave  for  the 
far  West. 

How  my  heart  sank  with  these  words ! 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES. 


'37 


X. 

MARCH  i2th. 

UXCLE  FRANCIS  came  in  this  morning,  and 
handed  me  a  letter  from  grandpa. 

It  was  the  looke'd-for  invitation  to  visit  him  in 
Europe.  I  had  no  idea  of  receiving  it  before  the 
fall ;  but  there  were  reasons  why  grandpa  thought 
it  best  for  me  to  go  earlier.  And  so  I  am  going 
abroad ! 

What  an  amount  of  knowledge  you  will  glean, 
you  dear  little  Diary,  for  I  am  determined  to  place 
everything  worthy  of  note  in  your  keeping! 

My  kind  grandpa  enclosed  in  the  letter  a  check 
for  five  hundred,  with  which  to  purchase  my  ticket 
and  an  outfit. 

I  suppose  the  poor  white  muslin  will  have  to 
figure,  if  I  receive  any  attention.  But  stay,  —  per- 


138  MAX'S 

haps  pa  may  not  object  to  my  carrying  the  fine 
clothes  that  I  \vorc  in  Milledgevillc,  and  then  I 
may  be  able  to  save  money  enough  to  buy  a  new 
suit  for  Frank,  who  enters  college  this  fall. 

Pa  is  anxious  Frank  should  enter  Yale,  as  he  pur- 
sued his  studies  there  ;  but  I  think  he  will  be  obliged 

O 

to  yield  his  preference  to  uncle  Francis,  as  he  is  to 
defray  his  expenses,  and  permit  him  to  enter  Har- 
vard, uncle  Francis's  Alma  Mater ! 

And  now  I  must  recall  my  wandering  thoughts, 
and  try  to  learn  something  of  the  great  country  which 
I  am  so  soon  to  visit.  I  have  learned  a  little  about 
its  present  Sovereigns,  and  I  remember  some  of  its 
prominent  characters,  who  live  only  in  history  ;  but 
I  fear,  if  I  should  be  questioned  as  to  my  actual 
knowledge,  I  should  do  but  little  credit  to  myself 
or  my  teachers.  And  whom  shall  I  select  as  my 
first  study? 

There  are  Pope  and  Dryden,  Shakespeare  and 
Bacon,  Byron  and  Thompson,  Cowpcr  and  Milton, 
beside  Wordsworth,  Goldsmith,  Young,  Gray.  Camp- 
bell, Beattie,  Watts,  Johnson,  Sheridan  and  Burke  ; 
not  forgetting  my  loved  Bunyan,  Hcmans,  Howitt, 
Tennyson,  and  Crowlcy,  Dickens  and  Hogarth, — 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  i^ 

his  father-in-law,  —  Thackeray  and  Bronte,  Scott, 
and  my  much-admired  Burns! 

Next  in  order,  as  of  course  I  give  the  preference 
to  English  and  .Scottish  characters  first,  come  Fene- 
lon,  Le  Sage,  Rousseau,  Buffbn,  Chateaubriand, 
Hugo,  De  Vign}',  Thicrs,  De  Tocqueville,  and 
Dudevant,  of  France.  Luther,  Zwinglii,  Melancthon, 
Albrecht  Durcr,  Von  Humboldt,  Grimm,  Goethe, 
Schiller,  Voss,  and  Schelling,  of  Germany.  Homer, 
Ilesiod,  Sophocles,  Plutarch,  Strabo,  and  Valaorites, 
of  Greece,  —  who  are  but  the  very  beginning  of  the 
list. 

Then  come  the  musical  celebrities,  painters,  curi- 
osities. Dear  me  !  I  may  as  well  give  up  in  despair, 
for  if  I  once  commence  there  will  be  no  end  ! 

And  before  I  begin  studying  about  other  lands,  I 
think  I  should  know  more  of  my  own.  There  are 
Webster  and  Choate,  Clay  and  Everett.  I  suppose 
ma  would  say  Bell  and  Johnson,  and  pa  would  add 
Chase  and  Lincoln,  and  Frank  would  add  Sumncr, 
for  Frank  is  about  as  great  a  radical  as  well  can  be ! 
Uncle  Francis  has  instilled  his  ideas  into  him  ;  and 
this  is  the  way  with  these  Northerners,  —  they  have 
such  narrow,  contracted  views ! 


140  MAN'S    WKOXGS; 

\\~crc    I    called    upon,    I    should    add    to    the   list 

•ts.      lie    is    my   beau    ideal  of  true   greatness. 

Any  mail  who   has    the    moral    courage   to  stand  up 

for  the    right    among    us,  in  these   days,  is    a  great 

man  ! 

Ma  insists  upon  it  that  it  is  mob  rule,  when  the 
majority  carry  a  point  which  they  know  is  actually 
forbidden  by  law,  under  the  plea  of  reconstruction, 
and  such  like !  But  I've  no  time  for  discussing  the 
right  or  wrong  of  the  matter ;  suffice  it  to  say,  that 
if  President  Grant  restores  our  country  to  its  former 
prosperitv,  and  if  in  four  years  women  are  allowed 
to  vote,  I  will  promise  him  my  vote  for  his  re- 
election ! 

Among  the  musical  celebrities  with  whose  history 
I  must  become  acquainted  are  Handel,  Haydn, 
Mnxart,  Bach,  Beethoven,  Lizt,  Mendelssohn,  Schu- 
bert, Moschclles  and  Wagner :  Chopin  and  Bennett 
I  am  familiar  with  ;  and  also  the  famous  songstresses, 
Lind,  Piccolomini,  Alboni,  Sontag,  Malibran,  Paton, 
Catalan!,  Parepa,  with  Phillips  and  Kellogg  of  our 
own  land. 

It  is  a  true  remark  that  the  more  a  man  knows,  the 
more  he  feels  he  has  to  learn.  If  I  study  hard  for  two 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  1^1 

years,  I  shall  but  have  just  begun.  But  I  w/7/  not  be 
discouraged  !  I  will  devote  an  hour,  at  least,  a  day 
to  improving  my  mind,  even  if  I  take  it  from  my 
sleeping  hours  ;  for  I  should  never  survive  the  mor- 
tification of  being  classed  by  the  eminent  literary 
characters  among  whom  I  shall  be  thrown  as  a 
young  lady  of  uncultivated  mind. 

And  it  is  my  own  fault  that  I  am  thus  ignorant ! 
I  confess  with  shame  that  I  am  too  fond  of  that  class 
of  reading  which  requires  no  thought,  rather  than  that 
of  a  more  solid  nature. 

Pa  says  that  if  one  is  determined  to  indulge  only  in 
a  high  class  of  literature,  the  more  will  he  thirst  for 
it,  and  turn  with  contempt  from  the  idle  trash  which 
finds  such  multidudes  of  readers. 

As  the  mind  is  cultivated,  it  will  expand  and  grow 
in  the  desire  for  that  which  tends  only  to  edification. 
I  believe  I  see  myself  in  a  new  light ! 

From  this  moment  I  resolve  I  will  no  longer  in- 
dulge in  sentimental  reading,  or  allow  my  mind  to  be 
overrun  with  weeds  and  brambles,  but  will  strive  to 
grow  daily  in  the  knowledge  of  God  and  man. 

And  now  let  me  see  with  whom  I  shall  commence, 
—  I  think  I  will  take  Shakespeare : 


142  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

William  Shakespeare  was  born  in  Stratford-upon- 
Avon,  Warwickshire,  in  156.4. 

His  father  was  John  Shakespeare,  a  well-to-do 
farmer  of  Snitterficld,  about  three  miles  from  Strat- 
ford. 

His  mother  was  Mary  Arden,  the  youngest  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  Arden  of  Wilmccotc,  who  were  of  the 
acknowledged  gentry  of  Warwickshire  —  their  family 
being  ancient,  and  of  some  note  in  the  county.  Wil- 
liam was  the  first  son  of  a  family  of  eight.  Nothing 
certain  is  known  of  his  life  and  education  in  his 
younger  days,  save  that  he  attended  a  free  grammar- 
school  at  Stratford. 

He  knew  enough  of  Latin  to  understand  such  pas- 
sages as  he  met  in  the  course  of  his  reading,  as  also  a 
little  Italian  and  French.  lie  married  Anne  Hath- 
away, a  daughter  of  Richard  Hathaway,  a  yeoman 
of  Shottcry. 

This  young  woman  was  eight  years  older  than 
Shakespeare.  At  the  time  he  was  married  he  was 
eighteen,  and  she  twenty-six.  His  wife  was  said  to 
be  beautiful. 

He  was  the  father  of  three  children,  one  of  whom 
married  a  physician,  Dr.  John  Hall.  It  is  uncertain 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES. 


'43 


which  was  the  first  production  of  Shakespeare,  but  he 
is  said  to  have  written  thirty-seven  plays.  With  the 
nobles,  wits,  and  poets  of  the  dav,  he  was  in  friendly 
intercourse.  He  had  some  knowledge  of  law,  of 
which  his  plays  afford  good  evidence. 

In  1586  he  visited  London,  where  he  performed  in 
some  of  his  own  plays ;  for  he  was  not  only  a  cele- 
brated author,  but  actor. 

His  first  published  poem,  Venus  and  Adonis,  he 
dedicated  to  the  Earl  of  Southampton,  an  accom- 
plished nobleman,  who  loved  literature  and  encour- 
aged men  of  letters. 

The  second,  part  of  Henry  Fourth  portrays  the 
supremacy  of  his  powers  as  poet,  dramatist,  philos- 
opher, wit  and  humorist  combined.  Falstaff,  Merry 
Wives  of  Windsor,  Hamlet,  Taming  the  Shrew,  and 
Midsummer  Night's  Dream,  were  received  with  much 
favor. 

It  is  probable  that  Titus  Adronicus  is  the  earliest 
dramatic  effort  of  his  pen.  He  was  a  little  more  than 
twenty-three  years  of  age  when  it  was  composed. 

He  appears  very  early  in  his  career  to  have  attained 
a  share  in  the  direction  and  emoluments  of  the  theatre 
to  which  he  was  attached.  Besides  the  composition 


144  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

of  his  own  plays,  he  often  revised  and  remodelled  the 
works  of  others. 

Pecuniary  emolument  and  literary  reputation  were 
not  the  only  reward  that  our  hero  received.  Queen 
Elizabeth  gave  him  many  marks  of  her  favor ;  and  so 
delighted  was  she  with  Fal  staff,  that  she  desired  him 
to  continue  him  in  another  play,  and  exhibit  him  in 
love  ;  —  when  followed  the  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor. 
James  the  First  also  wrote  him  a  letter,  with  his  own 
hand. 

Dr.  Ben  Jonson,  a  literary  character  of  high  repute, 
was  a  great  friend  of  Shakespeare. 

Shakespeare  was  godfather  to  one  o£  his  children ; 
and,  after  the  christening,  being  in  deep  study,  Jon- 
son  came  to  cheer  him  up,  and  asked  him  why  he 
was  so  melancholy? 

"  I  have  been  considering  a  great  while,"  said 
Shakespeare,  "  what  should  be  the  fittest  gift  for  me 
to  bestow  upon  my  godchild,  and  I  have  resolved 
at  last!" 

"Prithee,  what?"  said   he. 

"  ITuith,  Ben,  I'll  e'en  give  her  a  dozen  good 
Latin  (lattcen-brass)  spoons,  and  thou  shall  translate 
them." 


OR,     WOMAN'S    FOIBLES.  ^5 

"  The  above,"  says  Archdeacon  Nares,  "  is  a 
pleasant  raillery  on  Jonson's  love  for  translating." 

The  cause  of  Shakespeare's  death  is  unknown. 
He  died  in  1616,  in  his  fifty-second  year,  and  was 
buried  on  the  north  side  of  the  chancel  of  the  great 
church  of  Stratford. 

Here  a  monument,  containing  a  bust  of  the  poet, 
was  erected  to  his  memory.  A  cenotaph  has  since 
been  erected  to  his  memory  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

He  was  contemporaneous  with  Cervantes,  who, 
a  little  singularly,  died  on  the  same  day.  And  who 
was  Cervantes?  All  I  know  is,  that  he  was  a  Span- 
iard. I  have  found,  on  examination,  that  — 

Cervantes,  the  author  of  "  Don  Quixote,"  was 
the  son  of  Rodrigo,  descended  from  an  ancient  Gal- 
lician  family,  and  his  mother,  Leonara  de  Cortinas, 
was  a  lady  of  refinement.  He  was  born  in  Spain, 
in  1547. 

He  was  of  fair  complexion,  his  eyes  blue,  his  hair 
auburn.  lie  was  of  handsome,  spirited  countenance, 
cheerful  in  his  manners,  and  beloved  in  every  rela- 
tion of  life. 

10 


146  MAN'S    H'XONGS; 

In  1584,  he  married  an  accomplished  lady  of 
Esquirias. 

The  death  of  Philip  Second,  in  1598,  brought  an 
end  to  the  despotic  rule  in  Spain,  which  was  felt  in 
the  world  of  letters. 

Cervantes  could  not  give  free  vent  to  his  opinions. 
Mankind  began  to  grow  tired  of  the  hypocrisy,  sen- 
timentality, and  folly  of  the  books  of  chivalry.  Old 
Spain  longed  for  some  free-spoken  word  which 
would  end  the  weary  spectacle  of  an  effete  litera- 
ture, and  Cervantes  uttered  that  word. 

It  was  "  Don  Quixote !  "  As  for  his  miscellaneous 
literary  productions,  they  are  almost  forgotten  in  the 
triumph  achieved  by  Don  Quixote.  Yet  this  great 
man  was  buried,  without  any  kind  of  distinction, 
in  the  convent  of  the  nuns  of  Trinity,  Catle  del  Hu- 
milladero,  and  nothing  but  a  common  tombstone 
marks  the  place  where  his  ashes  were  removed  at  a 
subsequent  period.  In  1835  a  bronze  statue  of  him, 
larger  than  life,  was  placed  in  the  Plaza  del  Esta- 
mento,  at  Madrid,  and  a  small  bust  was  placed, 
in  1834,  by  one  of  his  admirers,  over  the  door  of 
the  house  in  which  he  died. 

Next  in  order  I  think  I  will  select  some  one  of 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  147 

the  musical  celebrities  of  the  day,  and  learn  some- 
thing of  his  history  ;  and  as  Mendelssohn  is  one  of 
my  favorites,  he  shall  be  my  choice. 

Felix  Mendelssohn  Bartholdy  was  born  in  Ham- 
burg, in  1809.  His  father  was  connected  with  one 
of  the  first  banking-houses  in  Europe.  Goethe  was 
foremost  among  the  distinguished  persons  who  be- 
came interested  in  his  precocious  genius. 

He  was  not  six  years  old  when  he  performed, 
with  skill,  upon  the  piano ;  in  fact,  he  could  sing 
almost  before  he  could  speak.  Being  advised  by 
competent  judges,  his  father  determined  that  he 
should  make  music  a  profession.  Zelter,  the  friend 
of  Goethe,  was  his  instructor  in  composition,  and 
Bcrger  his  teacher  on  the  piano. 

When  only  nine  years  old  he  gave  his  first  public 
concert  in  Berlin,  and  a  year  later  he  appeared 
before  the  public  in  Paris.  From  this  time  he  com- 
menced to  write  compositions  for  the  piano,  violin, 
and  violincello.  He  seemed  to  be  raised  to  fill  the 
g:ip  caused  by  the  death  of  Beethoven. 

His  Midsummer  Night's  Dream,  his  music  for 
Goethe's  Wulpurgis  night,  the  Dcdiphus  of  Sophocles,, 


148  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

besides  a  number  of  admirable  sonatas,  concerts,  etc., 
are  among  his  works. 

But  his  "Songs  without  Words"  are  filled  with  new 
beauty,  and  will  ever  be  regarded  as  gc7ns  by  every 
one  who  is  possessed  of  a  soul  attuned  to  such  harmo- 
nics. His  fame,  however,  rests  upon  his  Oratorios. 
St.  Paul  and  Elijah  arc  regarded  among  his  crowning 
works. 

Mendelssohn  was  much  beloved  for  the  beauty  of 
his  character.  As  he  was  permitted  to  indulge  his 
tastes  without  hindrance,  he  was  spared  the  trials 
which  arc  the  lot  of  all  who  are  aspirants  for  public 
fame. 

His  health  was  impaired  by  grief  on  account  of  his 
sister's  death  ;  and  although  he  laid  by  his  work  and 
took  a  tour  through  Switzerland,  it  brought  only  tem- 
porary relief,  and  he  died,  in  the  'prime  of  his  man- 
hood, from  affection  of  the  brain,  at  Lcipsic,  in  1847. 

Now  I  must  take  the  time  to  study  a  little  about 
Goethe  ;  for  if  he  was  Mendelssohn's  friend,  he  must 
be  worth  knowing  something  about. 

Johann  Wolfgang  Von  Goethe  was  the  most  lit- 
erary man  of  the  nineteenth  century.  lie  was  born  in 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  I49 

Frankfort-on-the-Main  in   1749,  and  died  in  Weimar 
in  1832. 

He  was  very  precocious,  lively  and  sensitive.  Be- 
fore he  was  ten  years  old  he  wrote,  in  several  lan- 
guages, invented  stories,  and  meditated  poems. 

His  youth  and  beauty,  his  frank  manner,  and,  above 
all,  his  genius,  made  him  the  delight  of  every  circle. 
He  was  constantly  falling  in  love,  and  as  often  did  he 
break  away  from  the  object  of  his  attachment. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  sent  to  Leipsic  to 
commence  his  collegiate  studies.  Soon  after  entering 
upon  them  he  wrote  two  dramas,  not  much  in  them- 
selves, but  indicating  his  dawning  powers. 

When  in  Wetzlar,  he  fell  in  love  with  a  young  lady 
who  was  already  engaged,  and  who  *vvas  soon  after 
married.  A  young  and  melancholy  student  with 
whom  he  was  intimate,  having  committed  suicide 
because  of  a  similar  passion  for  the  wife  of  one  of  his 
friends,  Goethe  wove  the  incidents  of  the  two  cases 
into  a  novel,  which  he  called  the  "  Sufferings  of 
Young  Werthcr,"  which  was  received  throughout 
Europe  with  the  most  prodigious  sensation.  Its  chief 
success,  however,  arose  from  the  fact  that  it  expressed 


1  50 


.1/.I.V.S 


a  sad  longing  and  discontent,  which  was  a  striking 
characteristic  of  the  age. 

This  was  followed  by  other  dramas,  when  Goethe 
acquired  such  fame  that  he  was  invited  by  the 
Grand  Duke  of  Saxe  Weimar  to  pass  a  few  weeks 
at  his  court,  where  such  a  friendship  sprang  up  be- 
tween the  prince  and  the  poet,  that  Goethe  from 
that  time  made  Weimar  his  permanent  residence. 

After  so  many  affaires  de  la  cceur  he  picked  a 
broken  twig  at  last,  by  marrying  Christine  Vulpius, 
who  was  uneducated,  and  served  in  some  domestic 
capacity  in  his  house. 

One  year  after  the  completion  of  his  celebrated 
drama  of  "  Faust,"  he  was  taken  ill  of  a  cold,  which 
terminated  in  "a  fever,  and  which  resulted  fatally, 
in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his  age. 

MARCH  i3th. 

Just  as  I  had  finished,  yesterday,  learning  some- 
thing about  Goethe,  Belle  Schuyler  called,  and  told 
me  a  piece  of  news  which  I  can  scarcely  credit  I 

She  said  that  she  had  just  left  Harry  Hamilton, 
and  that  he  confided  to  her  the  engagement  between 
Arthur  Jenkins  and  my  own  dear  Minnie. 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  151 

Now  I  cannot  believe  that  I,  who  am  Minnie's 
bosom  friend,  should  have  to  learn  this,  if  a  fact, 
from  another ;  and  therefore  I  shall  not  credit  one 
word  until  I  learn  it  from  Minnie  herself. 

I  think  I  could  not  forgive  her,  if  true,  for  allowing 
me  to  hear  it  first  from  strangers,  —  and  yet  not  a 
stranger  exactly,  for  Belle  is  one  of  our  intimates, — 
but  I  feel  a  little  sore  about  the  matter.  Report 
says  that  Belle  and  Harry  Hamilton  are  on  the 
verge  of  being  betrothed,  and  perhaps  this  accounts 
for  Harry's  confiding  in  Belle  ! 

Now  that  I  think  of  it,  she  did  say  that  Harry 
conjided  it  to  her. 

Dear  me !  What  geniuses  women  are !  They 
can  neither  keep  their  own  secrets  nor  any  one's 
else ;  but  then,  there  are  exceptions.  I  would  not 
trust  my  secret,  no,  not  even  to  Minnie,  my  bosom 
friend,  for  I  scarcely  dare  whisper  it  to  myself; 
so  it  will  not  do  to  condemn  all  for  the  foible  of 
the  many  ! 

While  Belle  was  sitting  with  me,  Chloe  handed 
me  a  note,  which,  as  I  glanced  at,  I  knew  to  be 
from  Minnie  ;  but  I  put  it  in  my  pocket  to  read  after 
Belle  had  taken  her  departure. 


I52  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

I  joked  Belle  a  little  about  Harry,  when  she  laugh- 
ingly replied,  "People  that  live  in  glass  houses 
should  not  throw  stones !  "  When  I  asked  her  to 
explain  herself,  she  replied  that  "  people  are  not 
blind  in  these  days  !  " 

"  Don't  you  think,  Kate,  that  people  see  not  only 
the  deference,  but  the  preference  with  which  Sir 
Henry  ever  treats  you?" 

At  these  words,  I  blushed  the  deepest  scarlet ; 
but,  trying  to  assume  a  careless  demeanor,  I  replied, 
"  People  do  not  always  look  through  the  right  glass. 
Sir  Henry  Vernon  is  already  betrothed  to  the  Lady 
Alice  Irving!" 

"  Kate  Manton !  tell  me :  do  you  believe  that 
idle  tale?  Harry  says  it  is  a  report  which  Arthur 
Jenkins,  knowing  how  very  exalted  Sir  Henry's 
ideas  were  of  what  a  woman  should  be,  circulated, 
to  prevent  the  girls  from  making  fools  of  themselves ; 
and  you  may  depend  upon  it,  that,  if  Minnie  and 
Arthur  are  engaged,  you  will  find  the  truth  of  my 
assertion  before  many  days." 

I  could  scarcely  compose  my  voice  enough  to 
answer,  "Belle,  you  know  that  Sir  Henry  Vernon 
would  never,  for  a  moment,  think  seriously  of  me, 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  153 

even  were  his  heart  in  his  own  keeping ;  for  you 
know  I  am  a  -poor  girl ! 

"  Wealth  is  nothing  with  him!  Harry  says  that 
Arthur  told  him  Sir  Henry  had  money  enough,  and 
all  that  he  asked  for  in  a  wife  were  character  and 
heart;  some  one  to  love  and  respect  him,  —  love 
him  for  himself  alone !  If  you  think,  Kate,  that 
people  do  not  see  the  admiring  glances  that  he 
casts  on  you,  you  are  greatly  mistaken.  I  have 
caught  him  myself  looking  at  you,  and  thca  have 
seen  him  start  as  if  he  were  a  culprit.  The  day  we 
visited  West  Point,  when  on  board  the  boat,  I  saw 
him,  as  you  were  walking  away,  after  having  intro- 
duced him  to  Judge  Francis,  turn  and  look  at  you, 
and  then  turn  to  the  Judge  and  make  a  remark, 
and  for  five  minutes  they  were  in  earnest  conver- 
sation ;  and  I  am  perfectly  sure,  Kate,  it  was  about 
you.  So  cheer  up,  Katie  dear.  Though  one  thing 
more :  if  you  are  so  fortunate  as  to  win  him,  I  trust 
you  will  set  the  example  to  the  world  not  to  discard 
your  friends  who  have  been  less  fortunate  than  your- 
self; though,  if  I  must  tell  the  truth,  I  wouldn't  ex- 
change Harry  for  twenty  of  Sir  Henry ! " 

"  Ah,  Belle,"  said  I,   "  now  you   must  own  to  the 


154  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

fair  impeachment,  that  you  arc  really  engaged  to 
Harry  :  " 

"  Yes,  Kate,"  she  replied,  "  I  am  only  too  happy 
to  reply  in  the  affirmative,  and  will  tell  you  that  it 
is  just  a  week  to-day  since  I  promised  to  be  his 
wife.  Harry  says  it  may  be  five  years  before  he 
is  able  to  wed,  it  costs  so  much  to  support  a  wife 
at  the  present  day.  I  told  him  that,  notwithstanding 
he  was  such  a  horrid  creature  as  to  make  such  an 
assertion,  I  should  rather  wait  ten  years  for  him 
than  wed  another ;  and  that,  though  it  did  cost  a 
fortune  to  live  even  decently  in  this  age,  yet  I  did 
not  doubt  his  own  expenses  would  be  lessened  by 
one-half,  when  he  had  me  to  take  care  of  him  !  " 

"  Were  young  ladies  what  they  should  be,"  re- 
plied I,  "  the  young  men  would  not  be  so  timid 
about  marrying. 

"  In  the  good  old  days  of  yore,  if  a  couple  were 
married,  and  had  but  part  of  a  house  to  occupy, 
they  thought  themselves  well  off!  They  made  no 
pretensions  to  greatness ;  they  were  willing  to  begin 
life  as  their  fathers  did  before  them,  and  live  pru- 
dently and  quietly,  fur  themselves,  their  families,  and 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES."  155 

their  God;   and  their  basket  and  store  was  blessed, 
and  they  rose  to  eminence,  slowly  but  surely. 

"  But  in  these  days  our  young  men  and  women 
are  not  willing  to  plod  along  step  by  step ;  they  wish 
to  begin  where  their  fathers  left  off! 

"  If  there  is  to  be  any  plodding,  it  must  be  before 
marriage ;  for  it  would  be  very  difficult  in  these 
days  to  find  a  young  lady  who  would  be  willing  to 
accommodate  herself  to  a  small  income  ;  and  here 
is  one  of  '  men's  'wrong's' 

"  The  young  man,  instead  of  rinding  the  one  who 
has  promised  to  love  and  live  for  him  alone,  willing 
to  wear  a  single  rather  than  a  double  skirt,  could 
she  but  be  rewarded  for  her  self-denial  by  sharing 
his  home,  his  cares,  his  labors,  —  instead  of  being 
cheered  and  encouraged  by  her  loving  words  and 
presence,  as  he  returns  to  his  home  night  after  night, 
finds  that  he  must  work  alone,  day  after  day,  year 
after  year,  till,  when  the  time  shall  arrive  that  he 
is  able  to  wed  his  betrothed,  she  will  have  verged 
toward  that  unhappy  period  when  she  will  be  obliged 
to  wear  double  skirts,  Grecian  bend,  chignons,  and 
all  other  kinds  of  nonsensical  superfluities,  to  save 
herself  from  the  appellation  of  '  old  maid.' 


156  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

"  It  is  all  wrong,  all  wrong !  And  who  is  to  be 
blamed  ? 

"  The  women  place  the  grave  charge  upon  the 
shoulders  of  the  men,  and  say  that  a  young  gentleman 
will  take  no  notice  of  a  young  lady  unless  she  is 
dressed  in  these  fashionable  appendages,  and  that 
any  young  girl,  though  she  may  not  be  upward  of 
twenty,  should  she  dare  dress  plainer  than  the  ac- 
knowledged style,  would  be  denounced  as  a  '  regular 
old  maid' ;  consequently  every  nerve  is  strained,  and 
all  kinds  of  self-denial  practised  by  the  parents,  to 
dress  the  female  portion  of  their  family  in  an  at- 
tractive manner ! 

"And  thus  dress  is  about  the  only  subject  that 
fills  the  minds  of  our  young  ladies.  '  How  do  I 
look?  Will  he  think  my  dress  becoming?  Am  I 
stylish-looking? ' 

"Vain  butterflies!  how  well  fitted  to  take  the  care 
of  a  man's  household,  —  to  train  up  his  children,  if 
he  is  blessed  (?)  with  any!  Oh  no!  they  could  not 
think  of  taking  care  of  their  own  babe !  it  is 
exceedingly  vulgar  to  take  charge  of  your  own 
infant.  ' My  dear,'  says  the  young  wife,  'you  must 
hire  a  nursery-girl  at  once ! '  There  are  two  him- 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  ^7 

dred  dollars  more  a  year,  to  say  nothing  of  light 
fingers  and  board  ;  and  while  the  poor  father  bends 

before  this  blast,  he  says,   '  I  suppose  it  must  be  all 

• 
right ! '      Who  blames  the  young  men  for  shrinking 

from  marriage  ?     I  do  not,  for  one !  " 

"  Nor  I  either,"  replied  Belle,  —  "  and  I  really 
believe  it  is  one  reason  why  so  many  young  men  are 
fast  I  for  those  among  them  who  have  a  salary  from 
which  they  can  put  by  anything  for  the  future,  are 
the  exception. 

"  The  large  majority  have  salaries  that  will  sup- 
port themselves  handsomely — but  with  a  wife  only 
respectably ;  and  there  are  few  young  ladies  to  be 
found  that  love  a  man  well  enough  to  marry  him, 
unless  they  can  appear  as  well  as  their  neighbors." 

"•  The  truth  is,  Belle,"  said  I,  "  our  young  people 
lack  real,  genuine  independence! 

"  They  want  the  power  to  say,  '  I  cannot  afford 

this;  I  prcfet the  world  to  the  contrary  —  to  take 

the  charge  of  my  own  little  one,  whom  God  has 
intrusted  to  my  care,  rather  than  delegate  it  to 
another ! ' 

"  We  need  entire  reformation  ! 

"  If  women  would  onlv  think  more  of  their  souls 


158  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

than  their  frail  bodies,  —  if  they  would  study  how  to 
accomplish  the  most  good  during  the  few  years  of 

their  sojourn   in  this  world  of  sin   and   sorrow,  —  if 

• 
some  among  them  would   introduce   reform,  and  set 

an  example  by  dressing  plainly,  by  frowning  on  the 
many  unnecessary  appendages  to  the  toilet,  even  if 
they  do  cost  but  a  quarter  here  and  a  half  there,  and 
which  in  a  short  time  run  away  with  a  sum,  though 
the  leak  is  so  small  as  to  be  invisible,  —  that  would 
save  them  from  want  in  the  future. 

"  What  beauty  is  there  in  yards  of  velvet  ribbon 
hanging  over  their  shoulders?  in  making  dresses  in 
such  a  style  as  to  require  yards  of  fringe  to  decorate 
it? 

"  This  aping  our  superiors  in  wealth  is  small  busi- 
ness. It  is  one  of  Satan's  devices  to  steal  women's 
souls.  It  not  only  fosters  pride,  but  leads  to  dishon- 
esty, selfishness,  and  hypocrisy. 

"  If  there  is  any  woman  worthy  of  being  the  wife 
of  the  most  honored  man  in  the  community,  e'en 
though  she  may  be  poor  in  purse,  yet  if  she  is  rich  in 
accomplishments,  in  a  well-balanced  and  cultivated 
mind,  it  is  she  who  is  not  afraid  to  say,  '  I  cannot 
afford  many  things  which  I  should  like,  if  practicable, 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  159 

but  I  strive  to  be  content  with  such  as  God  has  been 
pleased  to  give  me.'  Any  woman  who  in  this  age  is 
not  afraid  to  say  she  has  no  expectations,  is  a 
prize !  " 

"  Well,"  said  Belle,  who  had  been  listening  with 
an  interested  but  amused  expression  during  this 
harangue,  "  well,  Kate,  I  suppose,  then,  you  must 
be  that  prize  !  " 

"  Ah,  Belle,"  said  I,  "  you  surely  cannot  be  so 
cruel  as  to  say,  or  even  think,  I  for  a  moment  thought 
of  myself! 

"  I  am  a  poor,  weak,  erring  mortal,  constantly 
*  doing  the  things  I  ought  not  to  do,  and  leaving  un- 
done the  things  I  ought  to  do,  and  there  is  no  good  in 
me ! '  still  I  confess  to  you,  dear  Belle,  that  our  re- 
verses have  opened  my  eyes  to  a  more  just  view  of 
things  than  would  have  been  possible  had  I  never 
have  been  afflicted. 

"  The  fact  is,  though  I  admit  man  is  of  a  superior 
nature,  yet  I  feel,  to  a  certain  extent,  that  he  is  sus- 
ceptible to  the  influence  of  woman. 

"  If  finery  is  the  order  of  the  day,  he  would  blush, 
should  he  chance  meet  one  of  his  gay  acquaintances, 
as  he  was  escorting  a  young  lady  like  myself,  clad 


160  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

in  plain  clothes,  lest  they  should  think  she  couldn't 
be  much ! 

"  I  feel  impressed,  more  and  more,  that  much  of 
the  sin  and  folly  of  the  present  age  is  to  be  laid  at 
woman's  door  ! 

'•  And  who  will  immortalize  herself  by  commenc- 
ing the  work  of  reform? 

"  If  woman,  —  no  matter  how  unbounded  her 
wealth,  how  enviable  and  exalted  her  position, — 
if  woman  only  knew  the  laurels  that  would  crown 
her  brow,  the  respect  and  admiration  which  she 
would  elicit  from  every  man  whose  opinion  was  any- 
thing worth,  —  not  many  days  would  elapse  before  the 
dawning  of  a  brighter,  holier  day ;  then  will  the 
teachings  of  the  apostle  bring  forth  fruit,  and  '  women 
will  adorn  themselves  in  modest  apparel,  with  shainc- 
facedness  and  sobriety,  not  with  broidered  hair,  or 
gold,  or  pearls,  or  costly  array,  but  which  becometh 
women  professing  godliness  and  good  works." 

"  True,"  said  Belle,  "  but  this  latter  clause  is  advice 
to  women  professing  godliness,  or  to  Christians!" 

'•Yes,  Belle,"  said  I,  "  but  all  women  should  be 
Christians ! 

"I  don't  believe  you  would  find  a  man  living  who 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  161 

would  not   think   higher  of  woman    if  she    thought 
more  of  her  mind  and  less  of  her  body." 

"  Then  they  should  practise  themselves  what  they 
preach,"  said  Belle ;  "  I  don't  think  they  need  say 
anything,  for  they  are  just  as  proud  of  their  imperials 
and  mustaches  as  the  ladies  of  their  chignons  !  The 
bare  idea  of  their  taking  time  to  wax  the  ends  of 
their  mustaches !  I'm  sure  I  wouldn't  kiss  one  of 
these  deluded  mortals  if  I  never  kissed  a  gentle- 
man !  " 

"  I  agree  with  you,  Belle,"  said  I,  "  that  the 
men  are  weak,  in  adorning  their  persons  to  such 
an  extent ;  still,  I  think  if  the  ladies  would  lead  by 
example,  and  not  bestow  a  smile  on  a  fop  or  a 
dandy,  you  would  soon  perceive  a  change  in  man 
also." 

"  Well,  I  for  one,  Kate,"  said  Belle,  "  will  advo- 
cate no  such  doctrine.  If  man  is  the  superior,  noble 
being  that  he  proves  by  Scripture  he  is,  then  let 
him  set  the  example  to  poor,  'weak,  dependent 
woman  ! 

"  If  he   should  inaugurate  the  change,  we  should 
commence  a  new  era  before  the  close  of  1869." 
••  You  may  err  in   some  measure,  dear  Belle,  as 
ii 


1 62  MAX'S    WXONGS; 

may  I.  I  do  not  pretend  to  infallibility  ;  but  there 
is  a  grievous  wrong  somewhere,  and  we  see  its  effects 
on  the  rising  generation.  The  last  generation,  as 
a  whole,  were  fast,  the  present  faster,  and  I  fear 
the  next  will  be  fastest !  " 

f 

After  Belle  left  I  opened  Minnie's  note,  and  found 
it  to  contain  the  pleasing  information  that  she  and 
Arthur  were  engaged,  and  that  I  was  the  first  one 
to  whom  she  had  confided  the  secret ;  so  Arthur 
must  have  told  Harry  Hamilton ! 

Minnie  is  a  darling  girl ;  and  if  Arthur  is  as  true 
in  performing  his  duties  as  a  husband,  as  she  will 
be  as  a  wife,  it  will  be  a  happy  union  indeed ! 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  163 


L 


XL 

MARCH  i7th. 

AST  evening  Minnie  and  Arthur  came  over 
to  call.  Minnie  handed  me  a  small  envelope, 
containing  an  invitation,  which  she  wished  me  to 
answer  verbally  before  her  return. 

Judge  of  my  astonishment,  and  of  my  indescrib- 
able sensations  of  pleasure,  when  I  learned  that 
the  next  day  Mr.  Maverick  and  Minnie  were  going 
on  to  Niagara  to  engage  their  rooms  for  the  summer ; 
and,  as  Mrs.  Maverick  did  not  care  particularly 
about  leaving  home,  and  Minnie  didn't  wish  to  go 
alone,  Mrs.  Maverick,  in  her  delicate  way,  sent  me 
her  ticket,  asking  me  to  fill  her  place  to  Minnie  as 
well  as  I  could ! 

It  is  just  like  her.  I  knew  she  did  it  to  give  me 
pleasure,  and  in  such  a  delicate  way,  too,  —  as  if  I 
was  conferring  the  favor  rather  than  herself. 


164  -V.LV.S-    WRONGS; 

Of  course  my  toilette  was  appropriate,  as  we 
should  pass  but  one  night  at  the  Falls,  and  it  was 
too  early  for  company  at  the  hotels.  Mv  suit  is 
very  pretty.  It  is  of  Empress  cloth  ;  and,  though  it 
cost  but  a  trifle  when  compared  with  the  dresses 
worn  by  many  young  ladies,  it  is  very  quiet  and 
genteel.  It  is  of  a  light  shade  of  ashes  of  roses, 
trimmed  with  a  fold  of  silk  a  shade  darker,  about 
an  eighth  of  a  yard  wide  around  the  bottom  of  the 
under-skirt,  and  the  over-skirt  trimmed  with  two 
folds  of  half  the  width.  My  sack  has  a  head  to  it, 
trimmed  in  the  same  style.  My  hat  was  of  felt,  the 
same  shade,  trimmed  with  velvet,  without  feather  or 
flower.  Minnie  said  "  she  had  ample  room  in  her 
valise  to  take  what  few  articles  I  should  need." 

I  first  obtained  the  consent  of  pa  and  ma  ;  and, 
with  Chloe's  assistance,  soon  had  my  necessary  ar- 
ticles packed,  and  put  into  the  carriage  which  was 
at  the  door. 

When  I  went  back  to  the  parlor,  there  sat  pa 
and  ma  talking  as  cosily  as  possible  with  Minnie 
and  Arthur.  I  had  to  smile,  when  I  thought  how 
soon  old  married  people  forget  about  their  lover 
days !  I  really  think  it  did  not  once  enter  the  head 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  165 

of  mv  good  ma  how  vastly  preferable  it  would  have 
been  to  Minnie  and  Arthur  could  they  have  enjoyed 
each  other's  society  alone,  for  the  few  minutes  of 
my  absence  !  But  I  will  do  ma  the  justice  to  say 
that  she  evinces  a  great  deal  of  thought,  generally, 
on  such  matters. 

I  presume  if  the  true  state  of  the  case  were 
known,  she  thought  she  must  come  in  and  thank 
Minnie  for  her  kindness  to  her  darling  child. 

And  now,  in  about  two  hours,  I  am  to  start  for 
the  world-renowned  Niagara  !  So  I  must  say  good- 
by,  at  least  for  one  week,  to  all  the  famous  char- 
acters with  whom  I  was  to  become  more  intimately 
acquainted. 


Yes,  you  dear  old  Diary,  I  really  believe  I  should 
rather  have  left  one  of  my  gloves  at  home  than  you, 
you  afford  me  such  delight. 

Sometimes,  by  looking  in  your  bright  face  for  a 
moment,  when  the  clouds  look  dark  around  me,  I 
find  some  spot  that  chases  the  sadness  away,  and 
bids  me  hope  on,  hope  ever  !  And  yet,  I  must  own 
it,  "  Hope  deferred  maketh  my  heart  sick." 


1 66  MA X'S   U'RONGS; 

I  cannot  claim  to  have  ever  known  the  meaning 
of  perfect  love,  for  I  have  never  found  any  love,  as 
yet,  without  much  fear  being  connected  with  it. 

At  nine  o'clock  this  morning  the  carriage,  with 
Minnie's  sweet  face  peeping  out,  stopped  at  the 
door.  After  I  had  kissed  ma  again  and  again,  — 
for  I  had  bidden  pa  and  brother  Frank  good-by  in 
the  morning, — I  entered  the  carriage,  and  we  drove 
to  the  station.  Minnie  said  her  father  would  await 
us  there,  and  she  should  not  be  surprised  to  meet 
Arthur,  also,  for  a  parting  word  ! 

How  I  envied  her !  Not  that  I  cared  for  a  beau 
or  a  husband  —  by  no  means;  but  I  did  want  some 
one  to  love  me,  and  whom  I  could  love,  —  though  I 
cannot  be  content  with  a  little.  I  must  be  another's 
a//,  or  nothing.  And  I !  what  is  there  in  me  to 
attract  any  one?  Just  nothing  at  all. 

Tolerably  good-looking,  decently  dressed,  and  but 
passably  educated !  Now  I  do  not  think  there  would 
have  been  any  necessity  for  the  poet  to  have  breathed 
his  words  in  my  ear, — 

"  Oh  !  if  some  mighty  power  were  gie  us, 
To  see  ourselves  as  others  see  us." 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  167 

For  if  any  one  thinks  less  of  me  than  I  do  of  myself, 
I  had  best  retire  from  social  life  at  once ! 

As  we  entered  the  station,  I  descried  Mr.  Maverick 
—  and  —  could  my  eyes  deceive  me?  No!  it  -was 
Sir  Henry ! 

Why  had  he  come? 

Even  you,  my  little  Diary,  can  never  tell  a  tithe 
of  my  feelings,  when  he  informed  me  he  had  joined 
our  party  ! 

He  had  never  visited  Niagara,  and  thought  he 
could  not  embrace  a  more  favorable  opportunity ; 
and  as  Mr.  Maverick  was  there  with  his  watchful 
eye,  there  was  no  impropriety  in  it. 

I  do  believe  that  Minnie  told  ma  about  it,  and  that 
they  intended  to  surprise  me. 

Such  a  delightful  ride  as  I  had!  Of  course  Mr. 
Maverick  had  to  take  a  forward  seat,  to  talk  about 
politics  and  business  with  some  of  his  friends  whom 
he  met  on  the  train  ;  and,  as  Arthur  sat  with  Min- 
nie, there  was  no  other  alternative  for  poor  Kate 
Manton  but  to  submit  to  her  fate,  and  ride  to  Syra- 
cuse in  the  same  seat,  and  close  to  the  side  of  Sir 
Henry. 

But  I  ara  more  than  cruel  to  myself  to  harbor  such 


1 68  MAX'S    H'XOXGS; 

feelings;  for  it  only  strengthens  them,  and  makes  it 
more  impossible  to  banish  them.  Oh  !  if  some  kind 
being,  who  has  suffered  in  a  like  predicament,  \vill 
tell  me  what  I  can  do,  I  shall  be  filled  with  grat- 
itude all  my  life.  I  have  no  strength  in  myself,  for 
his  image  is  ever  present  with  me ! 

We  pass  to-night  in  Syracuse.  Minnie  is  already 
in  bed,  and  now  I  must  lay  by  my  pen  and  prepare 
to  retire,  and  indulge  in  dreams  of  Sir  Henry  ! 

Will  they  ever  be  realized? 

If  not,  I  shall  have  had  a  passing  pleasure  while 
dreaming.  Xo !  no!  I  will  not  listen  to  the  voice 
of  the  syren  charming  never  so  wisely  ;  but  I  will 
try  and  say  from  my  heart,  — 

"Vain  world,  with  all  thy  cares,  begone  — 
Let  my  religious  hours  alone ;  " 

for  if  there  is  ever  a  time  when  persons  should 
throw  aside  all  worldliness,  it  is  when  they  lie 
down  to  rest!  Our  times  are  not  our  own,  and 
we  may  wake  in  very  different  circumstances  from 
those  in  which  we  compose  ourselves  to  sleep ; 
therefore  I  will  take  my  Bible,  read  it,  and  commit 
myself  unto  the  Lord. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES,  j69 

MARCH  igth,  half-past  10,  p.  M. 

\Ve  rose  this  morning  quite  refreshed,  and  started 
at  seven  o'clock  for  Niagara.  We  had  time  only 
for  a  bird's-eye  view  of  Syracuse,  as  we  wished 
to  devote  all  our  spare  moments  in  viewing  the 
Falls,  and  therefore  took  the  early  morning  train. 

Sir  Henry  again  shared  my  seat.  I  was  a  little 
embarrassed,  as  I  feared  every  moment  he  would 
introduce  some  subject  on  which  I  was  profoundly 
ignorant. 

Can  you  blame  me  if  I  did  wish  to  appear  well  in 
his  eyes? 

Is  there  a  young  gentleman  or  lady  living  who 
does  not  wish  to  appear  well  in  the  eyes  of  the  one 
he  or  she  esteems  and  loves? 

Then  receive  my  advice,  and  no  matter  what  your 
situation,  your  trials,  your  disadvantages,  select  an 
hour  or  a  half  hour — nay,  even  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  and  study  on  some  given  subject. 

You  will  be  surprised  to  find  how  much  you  can 
educate  your  mind  in  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
quarters ! 

The  knowledge  thus  acquired,  will  be  of  great 
profit  to  you. 


I/O  .U.LV'S    WRONGS; 

Fortunately  for  me,  —  I  may  say  providentially^  — 
in  the  course  of  our  conversation,  Sir  Henry,  alluding 
to  my  proposed  trip,  asked  me  if  I  had  ever  read 
Shakespeare. 

I  told  him  that  I  read  it  when  quite  young, 
but  I  was  familiar  with  his  life,  and  the  names 
of  most  of  his  plays,  and  was  intending  to  read 
them  again  very  soon.  ' 

"  How  remarkable,"  said  I,  "  that  Shakespeare 
and  Cervantes  should  have  died  on  the  same  day  ;  " 
and  then  I  felt  like  a  culprit !  I  thought  I  was  de- 
ceiving him,  by  conveying  the  impression  that  I 
knew  more  than  I  really  did  ;  so  I  added,  "  I  was 
reading  about  him  yesterday!" 

We  discussed  Irving's  merits,  and  our  noble  Web- 
ster. Then  he  touched  on  Mary  Queen  of  Scots, 
whose  history  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  have  read 
a  year  since,  —  Scott,  Dickens,  —  who,  he  informed 
me,  married  a  daughter  of  Hogarth  ;  and  when  I 
avowed  my  ignorance  of  this  latter  gentleman,  he 
informed  me  that  he  was  a  British  author  and  musi- 
cian, who  resided  in  London,  as  musical  critic  and 
author,  and  that  his  writings  were  received  as  stand- 
ard authority  on  whatever  subject  they  treated. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  171 

He  also  informed  me  that  Hogarth's  daughter, 
•who  married  Charles  Dickens,  had  been  separated 
from  her  husband  a  number  of  years,  and  that  the 
sole  cause  of  their  separation  was  uncongeniality  of 
temper. 

"  How,"  said  Sir  Henry,  "  a  man  enjoying  such 
world-wide  renown  could  humble  himself  to  allow 
a  separation  from  his  wife  and  family  on  so  insig- 
nificant a  plea,  is  utterly  surprising  to  me.  While 
his  place  in  English  literature  will  be  as  secure  as 
that  of  Sterne,  Fielding,  or  Scott,  yet  his  place  in 
the  hearts  of  his  countrymen  can  never  be  that 
which  he  would  otherwise  have  held." 

I  replied  "  that  I  was  wholly  unacquainted  with 
the  matter  in  question ;  still  my  own  impressions 
were,  that  as  women  promised  when  they  were  wed 
to  take  their  husband  for  -worse  as  well  as  for  better, 
for  poorer  as  well  as  for  richer,  she  voluntarily 
placed  herself  in  a  position  from  which  nothing 
could  release  her.  If  woman  would  learn  to  control 
her  own  proud  heart,  —  and  this  she  cannot  do,  save 
by  the  grace  of  God.  —  instead  of  the  bitter  retort, 
the  look  of  injured  innocence,  which  will  sometimes 
increase  rather  than  assuage  the  tempest,  —  if  she 


172  MAN'S   Jl'JtOXGS; 

will  only  strive  to  be  a  humble,  forbearing,  loving 
woman,  may  she  not  be  the  means,  in  God's  hands, 
of  saving  her  husband  ?  " 

"  True,  Miss  Manton,  but  I  fear  such  women  in 
this  age,  where  folly  and  vanity  reign  supreme,  are 
few  ;  and,  though  I  grieve  to  say  it,  the  men  who 
could  appreciate  them,  still  fewer !  " 

\Yc  arrived  at  the  International  about  one  o'clock, 
and  after  arranging  our  toilette,  and  refreshing  our- 
selves with  a  lunch,  we  started  for  the  Falls. 

Arthur  and  Minnie  led  the  way,  while  Sir  Henry 
and  I  followed,  Mr.  Maverick  walking  some  of  the 
time  with  one,  and  then  with  another,  expressing  his 
curiosity  to  witness  the  effect  which  the  first  view  of 
the  mighty  cataract  would  produce  upon  Sir  Henry 
and  me,  as  with  the  others  it  was  no  new  sight. 

How  great  was  our  astonishment,  surprise,  admira- 
tion, and,  I  may  add,  veneration,  as  the  magnificent 
spectacle  burst  upon  our  gaze.  One  must  see  for 
himself  to  conceive  any  idea  of  this  wonderful  work 
of  God. 

Never  before  did  I  ever  feel  my  littleness  to  such 
an  extent! 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  ij$ 

Xcvcr  before  did  I  have  such  conceptions  of  the 
mighty  power  of  God. 

We  stood  speechless,  till  it  seemed  as  if  the  majes- 
tic grandeur  of  the  great  cascade  would  overpower 
us,  when  Sir  Henry  broke  the  silence  by  saying,  in 
the  words  of  Tennyson,  — 

'•  I  would  that  my  tongue  could  utter 
The  thoughts  that  arise  in  me ! " 

And  turning  to  Mr.  Maverick,  he  asked  "  if  the 
cause  of  this  mighty  waterfall  had  ever  been 
discovered  ?  " 

Mr.  Maverick  replied  "  that  the  Niagara  river,  which 
connects  Erie  and  Ontario,  flows  from  the  north- 
eastern extremity  of  Erie,  with  a  swift  current,  in 
a  northerly  direction,  for  about  two  miles ;  then 
more  gently,  with  the  current  growing  wider,  till 
it  divides  itself,  passing  on  each  side  of  Grand  Island. 
About  fifteen  or  sixteen  miles  from  Erie  it  begins 
to  grow  narrow  again,  and  descend  with  great 
velocity.  This  is  the  commencement  of  the  rapids, 
which  continue  for  about  a  mile,  the  waters  rolling 
in  great  swells  as  they  rush  swiftly  among  the  rocks, 
and  terminate  below  in  the  mighty  cataract." 


!^4  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

"Wonderful,  most  wonderful!"  said  Sir  Henry  ; 
and  then  inquired  "  how  great  the  descent  was  sup- 
posed to  be  ?  " 

"  It  is  said  to  measure  one  hundred  and  sixty-four 
feet  on  the  American,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  on 
the  Canada  side." 

The  noise  of  this  great  waterfall  varies  with  the 
condition  of  the  atmosphere  and  wind.  Sometimes 
it  is  heard  at  a  short  distance  only,  and  then  again 
for  a  distance  of  from  forty  to  fifty  miles. 

I  think  the  particular  wind  must  have  been  blow- 
ing, causing  its  loudest  echoes,  during  our  visit  to- 
day. Even  now  it  seems  as  if  I  must  stop  my  cars 
to  shut  out,  if  possible,  the  deafening  sound.  And 
then  again  I  like  to  listen  to  it,  and  imagine  it  as  I 
first  looked  upon  it  in  all  its  majesty !  To-morrow 
morn  we  are  to  be  up  with  the  dawn,  and  drive 
over  to  the  Canada  side,  from  which  the  view  is 
said  to  be  much  finer  than  that  from  our  own  shore. 


MARCH  22d,  10  P.  M. 

Here  we  are  comfortably  lodged  in  Schenectady. 
It  was  dark  when  we  arrived,  so  I  cannot  say  much 


OH,     WOMAN'S    FOIBLES.  ^5 

about  the  place.  To-morrow  we  arc  to  go  as  far 
as  Saratoga,  thence  by  car  to  Troy,  passing  the 
night  there,  and  home  by  way  of  the  Hudson. 

We  visited  the  Canadian  side  of  the  Fall  this 
morning.  There  seems  to  be  more  breadth,  and  a 
greater  volume  of  water  on  this  side,  rather  than 
on  the  American.  We  noticed  on  one  rock,  that 
projected  into  the  stream,  a  short  distance  above 
the  great  Fall,  a  round  tower  entirely  surrounded 
by  steps ;  but,  as  our  guide  informed  us,  there  was 
scarcely  anything  to  repay  one  for  ascending  them, 
and  as  our  time  was  precious,  we  did  not  at- 
tempt it. 

We  crossed,  however,  on  to  Goat's  Island.  This 
extends  to  the  brink  of  the  cataract,  leaving  the 
river,  on  the  American  side,  about  eleven  hundred 
feet  wide,  and  on  the  Canadian  side  twice  that 
width.  I  am  surprised  at  the  large  amount  of 
fresh-water  shells  lying  around  in  the  beds  of  gravel 
and  sand. 

It  seems  as  though  I  had  enjoyed  a  life  of  happi- 
ness in  these  few  hours ! 

I  ought  to  be  miserable !     Before  another  month 


176  .i/.i.v.s  WRONGS; 

has  passed  away.  Sir  Henry  and  I  will  be  separated, 
— probably  forever ! 

And  I  love  him  so ! 

His  voice,  his  words,  are  full  of  sympathy  and 
interest;  but  he  hasn't  given  me  a  glance,  —  in  fact, 
I  believe  he  has  not  raised  his  eyes  to  mine  since 
we  started,  and  I  have  done  expecting  it. 

And  it  is  best. 

A  continuation  of  interchange  of  feeling  would 
be  productive  only  of  misery  to  both.  Miserv  !  be- 
cause we  can  never  be  more  to  each  other  than  we 
now  are.  In  a  few  months  more  he  will  be  settled 
in  his  own  home,  with  the  Lady  Alice  ;  and  I  ? 

Alone  I 

APRIL  4th. 

Here  I  am  at  last,  safely  at  home,  in  my  own 
room,  with  my  dear  little  Diary  !  If  one  has  never 
kept  a  diary,  permit  me  to  say,  Begin  from  this  time, 
and  keep  one.  It  will  more  than  repay  you  for  the 
time  you  may  expend  upon  it.  It  not  only  refreshes 
the  memory,  by  bringing  back  pleasant  scenes  that 
would  otherwise  pass  into  oblivion,  but  it  helps  us 


OR,    WOMAX'S  FOIBLES.  i*j*j 

to  remember  the  many  weaknesses  and  temptations 
from  which  we  have  been  delivered. 

How  much  has  transpired  since  my  last  entry, 
which  was  made  in  Schenectady !  We  started  for 
Saratoga  at  six  o'clock  the  next  morning. 

It  was  a  bright,  glorious  morning ! 

Sir  Henry  declared  he  was  reminded  more  of  Old 
England  than  at  any  time  during  his  visit  in  America. 

"\Ve  visited  the  famous  Saratoga  Springs,  where 
we  partook  of  as  much  of  the  water  as  we  could 
prevail  upon  ourselves  to  drink. 

As  we  were  looking  around,  an  old  man,  who 
appeared  to  be  an  Indian,  came  up  to  us,  and  said 
"  he  would  recommend  us  to  try  some  of  the  water 
from  the  High  Rock  Spring,  as  it  contained  a 
larger  proportion  of  iron  than  the  Congress  or 
Iodine." 

We  thought  we  had  drank  as  much  of  the  water 
as  would  suffice  for  that  day,  so  Mr.  Maverick  told 
him  "  we  should  certainly  take  his  advice,  and  try 
the  High  Rock  at  our  next  visit  there." 

The  gentlemen  each  gave  the  poor  man  a  shil- 
ling, for  which  he  seemed  truly  grateful. 

12 


1 78  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

I  learned  here  that  large  quantities  of  the  Congress 
and  Empire  Springs  were  bottled  and  exported. 

We  had  not  time  to  visit  the  lake,  as  it  was  about 
three  miles  distant,  and  we  had  only  an  hour  before 
we  started  for  Troy. 

We  therefore  returned  to  the  hotel,  lunched,  and 
then  proceeded  to  the  depot,  where  we  took  the 
cars  for  Troy. 

All  this  time  I  was  the  companion  of  Sir  Henry, 
as  Arthur  and  Minnie  were  completely  engrossed 
with  each  other. 

Was  I  glad  ?  Indeed  I  was.  I  was  enjoying  the 
only  real  happiness  of  my  life. 

And  what  a  trifle  to  find  happiness  in,  of  such 
moment!  Simply  being  the  companion  of  a  gen- 
tleman, who,  after  a  week  or  two  more  has  passed, 
will  leave  me  to  my  own  desolate  heart. 

Well !  I  can't  help  it,  and  I  don't  want  to, 
either ! 

I  think  it  much  the  best  way  to  adopt  ma's  plan, 
and  live  by  the  day, — taking  the  blessings  of 
Heaven  as  they  fall  in  our  path ! 

I   feel   that  I  possess  vastly  more   than   such   an 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES. 


'79 


irritable,  uncharitable,  censorious  spirit  should  have, 
but  I  hope  for  better  things. 

I  am  going  to  begin  a  new  life.  I  am  determined 
to  live  in  single  blessedness,  and  devote  myself  to 
doing  good  in  every  possible  way  ;  in  a  word,  I'll 
forget  myself  and  live  for  God ! 

When  we  arrived  in  Troy,  my  attention  was 
drawn  by  Sir  Henry  to  a  fine  building  built  in  the 
Byzantine  style,  situated  on  a  commanding  eminence 
of  Mount  Ida,  and  which  Mr.  Maverick  informed' 
us  was  the  Troy  University. 

I  had  thought  of  Troy  as  a  place  of  ordinary  im- 
portance only,  and  was  completely  taken  by  surprise 
when  I  beheld  its  size,  heard  the  noise,  and  wit- 
nessed the  appearance  of  business  that  everywhere 
appeared  on  the  streets. 

It  is  laid  out  with  great  regularity,  though  the 
principal  street  follows  the  river,  and  is  somewhat 
curved. 

The  streets  are  mostly  about  sixty  feet  wide,  well 
paved,  with  good  sidewalks,  and  ornamented  by 
trees. 

The  houses  are  neat  and  tasty,  and  some  of  the 
buildings  are  elegant. 


I  So  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

The  court-house  is  built  of  marble,  with  a  Grecian 
front  of  the  Doric  order. 

There  was  an  old  house  which  I  had  heard  of, 
built  in  1752,  by  Vanderheyden,  which  we  wished 
to  visit,  but  time  forbade. 

We  took  the  boat,  at  three  o'clock,  for  home. 
Never  was  there  anything  more  romantic,  more  en- 
chanting, than  that  sail  down  the  Hudson. 

We  were  more  struck  by  the  quiet  grandeur  and 
imposing  appearance  of  the  Catskill  Mountains  than 
that  of  any  other  scenery  along  the  route.  Mr.  Ma- 
verick remarked,  that  if  we  could  be  so  fortunate 
as  to  view  them  from  the  Highlands  at  the  time  the 
sun  descended  behind  their  summits  and  gilded  them 
with  his  parting  rays,  we  should  witness  a  most 
beautiful  display  of  colors,  which,  if  depicted  upon 
canvas,  would  be  regained  as  an  exaggeration  of 
the  painter. 

Upon  one  of  the  terraces  of  the  mountain  stands 
the  "  Mountain  House,"  at  an  elevation  of  two 
thousand  five  hundred  feet  above  the  river,  which 
is  said  to  be  a  cool  and  quiet  retreat  from  the  heat 
and  bustle  of  the  city. 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  iSi 

As  the  day  closed,  the  moon  arose  in  all  her 
splendor. 

A  charming  band  on  board,  which  I  learned 
from  Mr.  Maverick  was  "  Dod worth's "  celebrated 
band,  was  discoursing  the  sweetest  music. 

Sir  Henry  and  I  promenaded  the  deck,  stopping 
occasionally  to  look  over  the  vessel's  side  and  watch 
her  as  she  glided  so  peacefully  along. 

We  said  but  little,  though  one,  I'm  sure,  was 
thinking  much. 

"Next  week  I  leave  for  the  far  West,  Miss  Kate, 
and  shortly  after  you  will  start  for  my  loved  Eng- 
land's shore.  I  fondly  trust  that  we  may  have  the 
happiness  of  meeting  again  at  some  future  day; 
still  I  would  fain  possess  some  little  memento  of 
these  pleasant,  and,  to  me,  happiest  hours  of  my 
life. 

"  Have  you  a  photograh,  or  any  likeness  of  your- 
self that  you  will  give  me  as  this  memento?" 

For  a  moment  my  poor  heart  stood  still !  Con- 
flicting emotions  rushed  through  my  brain.  \\"as 
he  trying  to  feign  an  interest  in  me  simply  because 
he  thought  it  to  be  his  duty,  while  he  felt  it  not? 
"What  did  lie  want  of  my  poor  little  phiz?  For 


l83  MAN'S    WKONGS; 

aught  I  knew  he  was  then  wearing  the  Lady  Alice 
Irving's,  encased  in  gold,  and  perchance  surmounted 
by  pearls. 

My  pride  was  roused!  lie  should  know  that  he 
could  not  deceive  me,  and  that  any  feigned  interest 
in  me  would  be  treated  as  it  deserved.  I  replied, 
therefore,  quite  scornfully,  "Do  I  hear  Sir  Henry 
Vernon  aright?  What  does  he  wish  of  my  photo- 
graph, and  why  does  he  wish  a  reminder  of  me  in 
his  absence? 

"I  know  it  is  a  very  common  thing,  in  these 
days,  for  the  young  ladies  to  have  their  photographs 
taken  by  dozens,  and  bestowed  upon  any  one,  from 
a  beardless  youth  to  a  gray-whiskered  man,  for  the 
asking!  lie  must  excuse  me  if  I  said  that  I  never 
yet  had  bestowed  my  likeness  on  any  man,  and  I 
never  would,  unless  he  was  a  near  relative  or  per- 
sonal friend ! " 

"  Am  /  not  a  personal  friend,"  asked  Sir  Henry, 
in  a  grieved  tone  of  voice. 

"  Yes !  but  you  are  engaged  to  the  Lady  Alice 
Irving ;  and  if  I  were  engaged  to  a  gentleman  I 
should  not  wish  him  to  have  a  host  of  other  ladies 
in  his  possession,  to  be  gazing  at  continually ;  so 


OH,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  183 

you    see  I   do   as   I    would  be   done   by ! "   with    a 
ghastly  attempt  at  a  smile. 

Sir  Henry  looked  at  me  a  moment  as  though  he 
would  read  my  soul,  and  then  replied,  in  a  soft  tone, 
"Miss  Kate,  do  you  really  believe  me  to  be  engaged 
to  the  Lady  Alice?" 

"  Certainly,"  replied  I ;  "I  learned  it  before  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  an  introduction." 

"  Then,  Miss  Kate,  you  will  allow  me  to  say  that 
I  was  never  engaged  to  her  or  any  other  lady ! 

"  I  trust  you  will  excuse  me,  Miss  Manton,  if  I 
have  been  guilty  of  impropriety  in  my  request,  for  I 
felt  and  intended  anything  rather  than  disrespect!" 

If  such  a  thing  could  be  in  these  days  as  a  gentle- 
man in  tears,  I  should  most  certainly  have  believed 
that  Sir  Henry  was  going  to  weep.  His  lip  quiv- 
ered, and  he  turned  away  his  head  to  conceal  his 
emotion. 

Never  did  I  so  hate  myself  as  at  this  moment ;  and 
}-et  my  heart  leaped  for  joy  that  I  had  heard  from 
his  own  lips  that  he  was  not  engaged ! 

After  a  moment,  I  said,  with  some  little  hesitancy, 
•  Mi.  Vernon,  I  am  truly  sorry  if  I  have  wounded 
,-our  feelings, —  I  intended  nothing  of  the  kind. 


184  AfAN'S    WXONGS; 

"The  fact  is,  the  price  of  photographs  has  placed  it 
so  completely  in  the  power  of  every  one  to  have  them 
taken  in  any  number,  to  say  nothing  of  the  tintypes, 
which  may  be  obtained  for  about  a  cent  and  a  half 
apiece,  that  you  find  even  children  will  have  their 
pockets  filled  with  the  faces  of  all  their  uncles,  aunts, 
cousins,  and  friends,  of  eveiy  size  and  age,  which 
they  carry  around  as  though  they  were  marbles. 

"  I  was  always  sensitive  on  this  point.  The  like- 
ness of  my  friends  are  too  sacred  to  me  to  be  treated 
in  this  careless  way. 

"  There  are  instances  where  young  men,  whose 
friendship  would  not  be  desirable,  will  have  in  their 
possession  the  likeness  of  some  estimable  girl,  who 
would  blush  to  be  seen  in  his  company,  who  will 
hand  around  this  likeness  as  though  she  were  an  inti- 
mate friend,  when  he  received  it  from  some  other 
person,  who  did  not  care  for  its  possession ! 

"  I  trust  you  will   not  misunderstand   me ! 

"  I  consider  photographs  one  of  the  most  desirable 
inventions  of  the  age ;  but  I  am  very  careful  that 
none  of  mine,  or  my  dearest  friends,  shall  ever  be 
in  the  possession  of  any  one  who  will  not  value 
them." 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  185 

"Am  I  not  one  of  your  true  friends,  Miss  Kate?" 
said  Sir  Henry. 

"  Indeed  you  are,"  I  replied  ;  "  I  esteem  you  as 
one  of  my  most  valued  personal  friends ;  and,  had  I 
have  taken  a  few  moments  for  reflection,  I  should 
not  have  wounded  you,  nor  myself  through  you. 

• 

"If  you  would  really  like  my  picture  as  a  re- 
minder of  the  pleasant  days  that  we  have  passed 
together,  I  shall  be  only  too  happy  to  present  one 
to  you  before  you  leave,  but  I  shall  certainly  expect 
one  of  your  own  in  return." 

"  Which  you  shall  have,  most  certainly  ! "  replied 
Sir  Henry. 

APRIL  i4th. 

Sir  Henry  has  gone  this  morning,  and  I  feel  so 
homesick  I 

I  cannot  understand  it. 

Why  is  it  I  should  have  such  strange  feelings 
stealing  over  my  senses  as  I  had  when  I  first  went 
to  boarding-school,  and  which  the  scholars  call 
homesickness?  Here  I  am  in  my  own  dear  home, 
with  pa,  ma,  and  Frank  ;  the  sun  is  shining  bright, 
and  Arty,  my  pet  canary,  —  Minnie  named  him, — 


1 86  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

singing  till  he  almost  deafens  me.  Minnie  is  coming 
in  to  pass  the  afternoon,  and  next  week  I  am  to 
start  for  England ;  and  yet,  and  yet,  I  don't  care 
one  straw  for  England,  or  any  other  place  save  the 
West ! 

If  I  could  choose,  I  would  give  up  the  realizing 
of  all  the  fond  anticipations  which  have  filled  my 
heart  for  so  long  a  time,  of  wandering  about  in  the 
haunts  of  Burns  and  Scott,  to  say  nothing  of  Bunhill 
Fields,  where  the  loved  and  gifted  Bunyan  lies ; 
and,  the  fondest  of  all,  to  gaze  upon  the  grave  of 
the  "  Dairyman's  Daughter,"  could  I  only  start  off 
in  the  train  that  leaves  for  Chicago  at  eight  o'clock 
this  morning,  and  be  with  that  precious  lamb 
again ! 

What  a  fool  you  are  making  of  yourself,  Kate 
Munton ! 

I  should  be  ashamed  to  avow  such  weakness !  A 
lamb,  indeed  !  I  think  Sir  Henry  would  thank  you 
for  the  compliment! 

Sir  Henry  came  last  evening  to  bid  me  good-by. 
lie  stayed  until  the  hand  pointed  to  eleven.  It 
seemed  as  if  he  could  not  leave  ! 

He  handed  me  his  photograph,  which  I  minutely 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  187 

examined,  and  declared  it  needed  only  speech  to 
make  it  real ! 

"  You  are  the  only  lady  who  has  ever  received 
a  likeness  of  me,  Miss  Kate ;  therefore  I  presume  it 
will  not  be  taking  too  great  a  liberty  to  ask  the  ful- 
filment of  your  part  of  the  agreement !  " 

Of  course  I  had  to  give  him  one  of  my,  to  say 
the  least,  uninteresting-looking  faces,  so  I  handed 
him  three  from  which  to  select;  and,  if  you  can 
credit  it,  dear  Diary,  he  said,  "  If  I  would  not  con- 
sider it  too  grasping,  he  would  take  the  three,  as 
each  one  had  some  merit  in  itself  which  the  others 
did  not  possess  !  " 

I  replied,  "  I  could  not  think  of  such  a  thing ! " 
but  he  very  gravely  took  out  his  pocket-book,  and 
placing  them  in,  said,  "By  your- permission  I  will 
select  one  during  my  trip  out  West,  and,  should  you 
insist,  on  my  return  I  will  hand  you  two  of  the 
three."  Of  course  I  could  not  refuse  him,  he  uttered 
it  so  gracefully  ! 

And  he  has  gone  ! 

And  I  am  alone.     Never  so  much  so  as  now. 

But  I  have  one  sweet  solace.  The  darling,  pre- 
cious little  photograph  which  is  never  away  from 


i88  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

me.  No  one  knows  my  secret  but  you,  my  Diary, 
and  I  know  that  you  will  never  betray  my  tender 
soliloquies  over  it  to  the  cold  world  ! 

I  fear  I  shall  not  intrust  much  else  to  your 
keeping  before  I  arrive  in  Europe.  Still,  there  are 
one  or  two  items  of  information  which  I  have  ac- 
quired this  last  week,  and  which,  unless  I  give 
them  to  you  now,  I  fear  may  slip  from  my 
memory. 

The  first  is  Schiller,  the  German  poet,  dramatist 
and  historian.  He  was  born  in  Wurtcmburg,  a 
hundred  years  ago  and  more,  and  was  the  author 
of  the  celebrated  drama,  "  William  Tell." 

Rossini,  also,  a  celebrated  Italian  musician,  born 
eighty  years  ago,  lately  deceased,  who  composed 
the  famous  opera  of  "  William  Tell,"  "  Gazza 
Ladra,"  "  Semiramide,"  and  a  host  of  others,  not 
forgetting  the  thrilling  "  Stabat  Mater !  " 

Sir  Henry  also  mentioned  Lady  Afary  IVortlcy 
Montague  one  evening,  at  Mr.  Maverick's,  and  I 
must  remember  something  about  her. 

She  was  born  in  England  a  little  more  than  a 
hundred  years  ago ;  and,  as  a  lady  of  wit  and 
fashion,  was  very  prominent  in  her  time,  and  her 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  189 

letters  hold  an  eminent  place  in  that  species  of  lit- 
erature. 

She  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  Duke  of 
Kingston.  When  only  eight  years  old,  she  passed 
what  she  termed  the  happiest  day  of  her  life,  in 
the  "  Kit-Cat  Club,"  consisting  of  some  of  the  most 
eminent  men  in  England,  into  which  she  had  been 
elected  in  a  frolic. 

At  twelve  she  wrote  a  poetical  epistle  from  Julia 
to  Ovid. 

Ovid  was  a  celebrated  Roman  poet,  who  was 
much  in  love  with  Julia,  daughter  of  the  Emperor 
Augustus,  and  who  lived  in  the  time  of  Christ. 

At  fifteen,  Lady  Mary  meditated  the  establishment 
of  a  nunnery. 

She  was  a  great  friend  of  Pope,  who  was  the 
greatest  English  poet  of  his  time,  but  who  afterward 
became  her  greatest  enemy,  because  she  could  not 
refrain  from  a  fit  of  laughter,  when,  at  an  ill-chosen 
moment,  he  was  making  love  to  her. 

There  is  the  dinner-bell,  so  I  must  now  find  food 
for  the  body  instead  of  the  mind. 

I  thought,  two  hours  since,  I  should  taste  no  food 
to-day,  I  was  so  sick, — so  homesick !  How  true 


I90  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

it  is,  if  we  can  only  divert  our  mind  instead  of 
brooding  on  our  sorrow,  \ve  shall  very  soon  regain 
our  former  equanimity.  It  is  certainly  true  in  my 
case,  for  I  feel  as  though  I  had  been  fasting  for  a 
week ! 

Half-past  10,  P.  M. 

Minnie  passed  the  afternoon  with  me,  and  in- 
trusted me  with  a  most  joyful  piece  of  news.  She 
is  going  abroad  with  me  ! 

Now  the  secret  mystery  hanging  around  ma  and 
Minnie,  —  their  whisperings,  their  many  signs,  —  is 
disclosed. 

Mr.  Maverick  had  business  in  Liverpool  which 
could  be  attended  to  by  no  one  save  himself.  He 
would  take  charge  of  me  to  Liverpool,  if  grandpa 
would  take  cjiarge  of  Minnie  on  his  arrival  there. 
Ma  wrote  grandpa,  and  the  answer  returned  that 
"  he  should  be  very  happy  to  be  her  protector,  not 
only  on  his  own  account,  but  because  it  would  so 
greatly  enhance  my  happiness." 

Mr.  Maverick  insisted  on  procuring  my  ticket, 
and  presenting  it  to  me.  Ma  was  candid  enough 
to  inform  him  that  grandpa  had  sent  me  a  check 
for  that  purpose. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  191 

"  Very  good,"  he  replied  ;  "  then  she  can  retain 
that  for  spending-money  !  " 

Noble,  disinterested  man !  How  he  loves  to  glad- 
den the  hearts  of  those  who  are  less  favored  with 
this  world's  substance. 

If  I  am  not  greatly  mistaken,  I  shall  spend  two- 
thirds  of  it,  at  least,  oa  ray  own  loved  ones  at 
home. 

Frank  shall  surely  have  a  new  suit  for  his  exam- 
ination at  Harvard. 

To-night  is  Thursday ;  and  Tuesday  next,  Provi- 
dence permitting,  I  shall  start  for  my  loved  Sir 
Henry's  native  land.  I  blush  to  confide  even  to  you, 
my  Diary,  what  I  wish ;  but  if  it  is  ever  gratified, 
you  shall  know  it ! 


192  MAX'S    WRONGS; 


XII. 

APRIL  26th. 

WE  arrived  in  Liverpool  a  week  since,  where 
we  took  the  cars  immediately  for  London. 
Mr.  Maverick  found  a  friend  who  was  going  down 
on  that  train,  and  intrusted  us  to  his  care. 

On  arriving  at  the  depot  in  London,  we  met 
grandpa,  who  was  overjoyed  to  see  us.  His  car- 
riage was  in  waiting,  and  we  were  taken  to  his 
mansion  in  Belgravc  Square,  which  is  in  the  part 
of  the  city  called  West  End. 

I  had  no  idea  of  the  size  of  London.  I  always 
conceived  of  it  as  a  large  place,  but  much  after  the 
similitude  of  New  York!  Anyone  who  has  visited 
it  under  the  samo  impression,  can  judge  of  my 
complete  surprise. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  193 

Grandpa  informed  us  that  London  was  from  six 
miles  and  upwards  in  extent,  and  was  properly 
divided  into  the  Old  City  and  the  West  End. 

The  city  was  mainly  the  business  part  of  the 
place ;  at  West  End  were  the  royal  residences, 
mansions,  gardens,  and  the  like. 

The  day  after  our  arrival,  grandpa  ordered  the 
carriage  for  a  drive. 

We  drove  through  Kensington  Gardens,  St.  James' 
Park,  and  then  through  Regent's  Park. 

When  I  compared  them  with  those  of  our  own 
land,  I  could  but  be  amused. 

The  bare  idea  of  calling  our  few  acres,  with  an 
iron  fence  around,  —  a  few  gravel  walks,  with  a 
fountain  here  and  there,  —  and  an  occasional  iron 
chair  or  seat,  some  trees  and  spots  of  grass,  a 
park  ! 

And  yet  I  own  to  a  little  chagrin ;  for  there  is  no 
good  reason  why  we  should  not  have  parks,  not  only 
to  vie  with,  but  to  surpass  even,  old  England ! 

Here  in  England,  the  parks  are  composed  of 
hill  and  valley,  river  and  pond,  —  gigantic  trees  of 
ancient  date,  long  stretches  of  grass-plats,  rare  plants, 


I94  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

—  good  roads  instead  of  walks,  affording  ample  room 
for  the  many  elegant  equipages  which  are  constantly 
passing  through  them. 

H\de  Park  is  one  of  the  famous  drives  of  the 
Queen.  Grandpa  said  that  we  should  drive  through 
there  the  next  day,  and  that  we  should  probably  see 
the  Queen,  —  at  least,  we  should  meet  the  Prince 
and  Princess  of  Wales ;  but  the  next  day  proving 
rainy,  our  ride  was  deferred  another  day. 

Grandpa  was  to  attend  the  Queen's  drawing-room 
on  Friday,  and  insisted,  at  first,  that  Minnie  and  I 
should  accompany  him ;  but  as  we  had  neither 
of  us  provided  ourselves  with  dresses  suitable  to 
appear  in  the  presence  of  royalty,  we  thought  best 
to  decline. 

As  it  was  no  new  thing  for  grandpa  to  be  present 
at  these  receptions,  he  also  gave  up  going,  and  or- 
dered the  carriage,  to  take  us  a  drive  around  the 
city  in  the  evening,  that  we  may  see  it  by  gas- 
light. 

The  old  city  is  under  the  care  of  the  Mayor,  and 
contains  but  little  more  than  a  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  i^ 

We  drove  by  Charing  Cross,  which  grandpa  says 
took  its  name  from  the  old  village  of  Charing,  where 
Edward  First  erected  a  cross. 

Charing  Cross  and  Trafalgar  Square  are  the  great 
turning-points  from  the  West  End  to  the  city.  The 
cabs  start  from  Charing  Cross  in  so  many  different 
directions,  that  grandpa  says  it  is  often  called  "  the 
centre  of  cabs." 

In-  Trafalgar  Square  is  a  column  erected  to  the 
memory  of  Lord  Nelson,  the  great  English  admiral. 
There  are  statues,  also,  of  George  Fourth,  Ilavclock, 
and  Napier. 

There  is  also  a  rider  seated  upon  a  horse,  which 
is  said  to  represent  George  the  Third.  At  the  gates 
of  the  Square  are  immense  bronze  lions !  The 
square  was  illuminated  with  large  globe-like  lamps. 

We  drove  through  Pall  Mall,  and  Regent  Street. 
The  streets  were  brilliant  with  gas-light.  There 
were  reflectors  furnished  with  burners  on  the  out- 
side of  many  of  the  windows,  to  throw  light  on  the 
goods  displayed  within. 

Grandpa  informed  us  that  London  numbered 
nearly,  if  not  quite,  eight  thousand  streets.  He 
drew  our  attention  to  one  spot,  called  the  Seven 


I96  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

Dials,  where  seven  streets  branched  in  different 
directions,  and  which  he  reminded  us  was  spoken 
of  in  Dickcns's  works.  I  did  enjoy  the  evening 
drive  ! 

The  next  day  we  drove  out  to  see  some  of  the 
lions  of  London. 

Our  first  visit  was  to  Westminster  Ahhcy.  This 
is  the  place  where  the  British  Sovereigns  receive 
their  crown.  It  is  the  great  church  of  the  \Ycst 
End.  Its  existence  is  traced  back  to  the  early  part 
of  the  seventh  century.  It  is  in  the  form  of  an 
irregular  cross.  All  of  the  British  Sovereigns,  from 
Edward  the  Confessor  to  Victoria,  were  crowned 
there,  ami  many  of  them  are  buried  beneath  its 
sacred  walls. 

Surrounding  the  east  end,  in  a  semicircle,  are 
nine  chapels,  the  most  interesting  of  which  are  those 
of  Edward  the  Confessor,  beyond  the  altar,  and  of 
Henry  the  Seventh,  which  forms  the  eastern  ex- 
tremity of  the  Abbey.  The  centre  of  the  former 
chapel  is  occupied  by  the  shrine  of  Edward  the 
Confessor. 

I  asked  grandpa  why  he  was  called  the  Confessor? 

He  said  that  he  was  canonized  and  styled  Confessor 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES. 


197 


about  a  hundred  years  after  his  decease  ;  and  that  he 
was  also  called  "Good  King  Edward"  by  the  people, 
\vho  remembered  him  with  affection,  on  account  of 
his  strict  justice  in  the  administration  of  his  govern- 
ment. But  he  had  many  faults,  one  of  which  was 
that  he  imprisoned  his  mother  for  life  in  a  monas- 
tery, because  she  tried  to  prevent  him  from  obtaining 
the  throne.  Still  he  was  noted  for  his  sanctity,  and 
his  laws  and  customs  were  long  remembered  with 
popular  affection. 

The  monuments  of  Queen  Elizabeth  and  Mary 
Queen  of  Scots  are  in  the  north  and  south  aisles  of 
the  chapel,  respectively. 

In  another  part  of  the  church  is  a  space  called 
"  The  Poets'  Corner,"  where  are  monuments  to 
Dryden,  Thompson,  Shakespeare,  Goldsmith;  also 
to  Macaulay,  the  historian,  and  Stephenson. 

Religious  service  is  performed  daily  in  the  Abbey, 
as  also  services  on  Sunday.  We  are  to  attend  ser- 
vice held  on  Sunday  forenoon,  and  at  St.  Paul's 
in  the  afternoon. 

To  me  the  famous  Westminster  seems  more  like 
one  vast  tomb,  than  a  place  of  worship  for  the 
living. 


198  AfA.V'S   WRONGS; 

Here  was  the  dust  of  royalty;  —  kings  and  queens, 
who  in  years  gone  by  had  been  the  great  ones  of 
earth  ;  and  now  where  are  they  ? 

What  more  vain  than  human  greatness,  for  which 
peace,  love,  yea,  even  life  itself,  is  sometimes 
sacrificed  ! 

Well  may  the  preacher  say,  "  Vanity  of  vanities, 
all  is  vanity  !  " 

After  passing  an  hour  or  more  in  this  sacred  place, 
\vc  visited  the  British  Museum. 

My  attention  was  directed  chiefly  to  the  examina- 
tion of  the  wonderful  curiosities  which  had  been 
deposited  there  from  Babylon  and  Xincvch.  To 
think  that  these  identical  sculptures  and  bas-reliefs 
had  been  gazed  upon,  in  ages  long  gone  by,  by 
Nebuchadnezzar  and  his  subjects,  by  Eser-haddon 
and  Sennacherib !  I  would  sooner  gaze  on  these 
mighty  monuments  of  the  truth  of  God's  Word,  than 
on  all  the  palaces  and  works  of  art  that  London 
contains. 

After  gratifying  our  curiosity  for  another  hour, 
we  drove  to  St.  Paul's. 

This  is  the  cathedral  church  of  the  See  of  London. 
It  stands  at  the  head  of  Ludgate  Hill,  on  the  site 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES. 


199 


of  the  old  St.  Paul's,  which  was  destroyed  in  the 
great  fire  of  1666.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  street 
which  bears  the  name  of  St.  Paul's  Churchyard. 
This  street  has  buildings  on  one  side  of  it,  and  on 
the  other  is  the  iron  palisade  which  forms  the 
enclosure  for  the  open  yard  or  space  on  which  St. 
Paul's  stands.  In  the  interior  of  the  dome  is  the 
famous  whispering-gallery,  which  connects  with  the 
stone  gallery  on  the  outside  of  the  dome.  The  as- 
cent is  between  six  and  seven  hundred  steps ;  but 
we  were  too  much  exhausted  to  attempt  climbing 
them,  although  we  learned  that  the  dome  was  divided 
into  compartments,  which  were  covered  with  paint- 
ings that  had  the  appearance  of  being  very  ancient, 
though  they  have  been  lately  retouched  by  artists 
and  painters  employed  for  the  purpose.  I  saw  here 
monuments,  also,  to  departed  greatness,  —  one  to 
Dr.  Ben  Jonson,  and  another  to  Nelson. 

The  great  bell  of  the  church  is  said  to  be  ten  feet 
in  diameter.  Grandpa  says  we  will  visit  it  again, 
when  we  are  less  fatigued,  and  devote  more  time 
to  its  examination. 

On  Friday  we  drove  out  in  time  to  see  the  elegant 
procession  of  carriages,  with  their  heraldic  devices, 


200  MAN'S    WROXGS; 

filled  with  the  lords  and  ladies  who  were  to  attend 
the  Queen's  drawing-room  at  St.  James.  Grandpa 
insisted  that  on  our  return  from  our  proposed  tour 
in  France,  and  some  of  the  other  noted  places  in 
Europe,  that  we  should  be  provided  wifli  suitable 
apparel,  and  attend  the  drawing-room  with  him. 

He  thought  the  expense  would  be  as  nothing,  when 
compared  with  the  honor  of  an  introduction  to  the 
Queen. 

I  told  Minnie,  after  we  were  alone,  that  I  should 
rather  by  far  appropriate  the  money  for  a  different 
purpose. 

She  was  very  anxious  to  know  what  could  afford 
me  more  pleasure  than  to  visit  the  palace,  and  to  see 
and  speak  with  the  Queen. 

I  told  her  that  I  wanted  to  visit  the  old  kitchen, 
look  upon  the  heraldic  sculptures,  and  sit  down  in 
the  wide  old  fireplace,  in  the  Mansion-house  at 
Stoke-Pogis !  Then,  too,  I  wanted  to  see  the  small 
room  in  the  Manor-house,  where  are  the  rude  paint- 
ings on  the  plastered  walls,  and  the  quaint  inscrip- 
tions, "  Feare  the  Lorde,"  "  Beware  of  Mallis," 
"  Beware  of  Pride,"  and  others. 

I  should  like  to  visit  the  old  churchyard,  and  find, 


OR,  jravi-LVS  FOIBLES.  2oi 

if  I  can,  the  very  spot  where  the  touching  Elegy  was 
written,  — 

"  The  curfew  tolls  the  knell  of  parting  day." 

Could  I  but  choose  my  own  friends  and  associates, 
I  should  select  such  as  Gray,  Cowper,  and  Scott ; 
but  the  trouble  is  they  would  not  select  me !  Poor, 
insignificant  mortal  that  I  am,  never  feeling  my 
utter  insignificance  more  deeply  than  when  dwelling 
on  the  lives  and  gazing  on  all  that  remains  of  such 
gifted  ones! 

TUESDAY,  10  p.  M. 

My  desire  has  been  gratified.  We  have  visited 
Stoke-Pogis,  and  seen  the  venerable  church.  It  is 
from  two  to  three  miles  from  Windsor,  far  removed 
from  the  public  highway,  and  within  a  fine  old  park, 
which  grandpa  says  formerly  belonged  to  the  family 
of  William  Penn. 

On  a  tablet  under  the  east  window  of  the  church 
is  the  following  inscription  :  — 

"  Opposite  this  stone,  in  the  same  tomb  upon 
which  he  so  feelingly  recorded  his  grief  at  the  loss 
of  a  beloved  parent,  are  deposited  the  remains  of 


203  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

Thomas  Gray,  the  author  of  the  'Elegy  written  in 
a  Country  Churchyard.'  Buried  August,  1771." 

A  plain,  unpretending  tomb  covers  the  poet  and  his 
mother. 

West  End  Cottage,  his  residence,  has  been  much 
enlarged  and  beautified ;  but  it  was  the  same  charm- 
ing spot  to  me. 

I  cared  not  to  see  the  spot  where  the  Henrys,  or 
the  Williams,  or  the  Georges  rest,  —  but  the  country 
churchyard  of  Gray  is  precious  and  sacred  to 
me. 

We  have  visited,  also,  Bunhill  Fields,  and  looked 
upon  the  spot  where  the  immortal  Bunyan  sleeps ; 
and  then  dear  grandpa,  who  is  beginning  to  discover 
what  will  afford  me  the  greatest  satisfaction,  ordered 
the  coachman  to  drive  us  to  Bedford,  where  we 
visited  the  jail,  and  I  sat  down  in  the  room  where 
our  loved  Bunyan  was  kept  a  prisoner  for  twelve 
years.  There  I  thought,  as  I  sat  alone,  —  for  I  per- 
suaded grandpa  and  Minnie  to  leave  me  for  awhile, 
and  explore  the  rest  of  the  jail,  —  of  the  wonderful 
book  that  he  there  penned,  "  Pilgrim's  Progress," 
and  how  many  souls  had  been  led  to  heaven  by  it,  — 
how  many  had  been  cheered  by  its  quaint  illustrations, 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  203 

and  saved  from  falling  into  the  power  of  Giant  De- 
spair! and  then  I  wished  that  I  could  see  the  house 
where  he  was  born  ;  but  it  would  really  be  imposing 
on  good  nature  to  ask  grandpa  to  drive  us  there.  As 
I  meditated,  the  kind  man  made  his  appearance,  and 
said,  "  Well,  Kate,  if  you  pass  the  day  in  the  jail, 
we  shall  not  have  time  to  visit  the  old  homestead." 

How  my  heart  leaped  for  joy  !  I  could  only  sav, 
"Grandpa,  how  could  you  know  my  heart  so  well?" 

"  Ah,  Kate ! "  he  replied,  "  who  should  know 
your  heart  if  not  your  old  fond  grandpa  P"^ 

We  rode  about  a  mile,  when  we  passed  a  large 
sign-post  with  Elstow  on  it,  in  unmistakable  char- 
acters. 

Elstow,  the  birthplace  of  Bunyan.  A  dear  little 
village,  just  such  an  one  as  I  should  imagine  the 
birthplace  of  such  a  man ;  and  in  a  few  moments 
we  stopped  at  the  gate  and  gazed  upon  the  revered 
walls  of  the  old  homestead.  There  was  a  rustic 
rudeness  and  simplicity  about  it ;  and,  although 
grandpa  said  it  had  been  standing  for  upwards  of 
two  hundred  years,  yet  it  looked  as  if  it  may  stand 
a  century  longer.  A  pleasant,  mild-looking  old 
lady  opened  the  door,  and  asked  us  if  we  would 


204  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

like  to  come  in ;  but  as  the  house  had  undergone 
repairs  and  alterations,  we  thanked  her,  but  thought 
we  had  better  postpone  our  visit  inside  till  some 
future  time. 

THURSDAY. 

To-day  we  have  visited  the  famous  "  Tower  of 
London."  I  was  particularly  interested  in  it  as 
being  the  prison  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  for  thirteen 
years,  six  years  of  his  imprisonment  being  shared 
by  his  wife,  and  who,  although  he  was  released,  was 
never  forgiven  his  supposed  crimes,  but  was  after- 
ward beheaded. 

We  entered  the  room  in  which  are  kept  the 
crowns  and  sceptres  of  the  Kings  and  Queens,  as 
also  their  diamonds  and  state  jewels.  These  treas- 
ures are  placed  in  a  large  iron  cage,  where  one 
can  see,  but  not  touch  them. 

Nothing,  however,  has  touched  my  feelings  so 
much  as  the  sight  of  the  block  and  axe  that  were 
used  at  the  execution  of  Anne  Boleyn  and  Lady 
Jane  Gray. 

We  saw  the  marks  in  the  block  that  were  made 
by  the  blows  from  the  axe. 

Poor     Lady    Jane !      Although    the    great-grand- 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  205 

daughter  of  Henry  the  Seventh,  and  granddaughter 

of  Mary,  the  young  widow  of  Louis  the  Twelfth  of 
France,  she  suffered,  even  in  her  earliest  childhood, 
from  the  rigorous  treatment  of  her  parents. 

She  accepted  the  throne  of  England  with  great 
reluctance,  yielding  only  to  the  wishes  of  her  father, 
and  husband,  Lord  Dudley.  She  reigned  only  for 
a  few  days,  and  then  was  confined  in  this  Tower 
with  her  husband,  and  in  a  few  short  months,  by 
the  order  of  Queen  Mary,  they  were  both  beheaded, 
—  she  in  the  Tower,  on  account  of  her  royal  blood, 
her  husband  on  Tower  Hill. 

To-morrow  we  start  for  Paris ;   so  I  must  lay  by 
my  pen,  and  repack  my  trunk. 

MAY  6th. 

\Vc  arrived  in  Boulogne  yesterday  morning,  having 
time  only  for  a  glimpse  of  the  town.  It  is  sur- 
rounded by  ramparts  which  have  been  transformed 
into  beautiful  promenades  planted  with  trees,  and 
afTbrding  a  magnificent  view  that  extends  to  the 
coast  of  England,  which  is  distinctly  visible  in 
clear  weather. 

After  a  slight  lunch,  we  took   the  cars  from   there 


206  MAN'S    M'JtOXGS; 

to  Amiens,  where  we  stayed   and   passed  the  night, 
as  we  wished  to  visit  the  Cathedral. 

This  Cathedral,  which  was  built  just  before  1300, 
is  415  feet  long,  182  broad,  and  the  spire  is  420 
feet  high. 

Grandpa  says  the  interior  woodwork  is  considered 
a  miracle  of  carpentry  ;  the  two  pilasters,  or  piers, 
being  the  only  support  of  the  great  expanse  of 
arches,  so  that  nothing  interferes  with  the  view 
below. 

The  exterior  is  sculptured  to   a  great  extent. 

Amiens  was  the  birthplace    of  Peter  the  Hermit. 

Minnie  whispered  to  me  that  I  should  ask  grandpa 
who  he  was.? 

In  answer  to  my  inquiry,  he  replied  that  Peter 
led  the  first  company  of  Crusaders  against  Pales- 
tine. Now  I  remembered  all  about  the  Crusade, 
but  had  not  the  faintest  recollection  of  the  poor 
hermit,  so  I  asked  to  be  a  little  more  enlightened  ! 
.  udpa  replied  that  he  knew  but  little  regarding 
this  man,  save  that  when  the  Crusade  was  first 
started  a  number  of  men  formed  themselves  into  a 
large  company,  and  chose  Peter  as  their  leader,  on 
account  of  his  great  enthusiasm  and  xeal  in  the 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  207 

enterprise ;  but  that  after  they  had  started,  some 
of  the  company  separated  from  the  others,  and 
placed  themselves  under  the  command  of  "Walter 
the  Penniless,"  when  they  were  dispersed  in  a  quarrel 
with  the  Hungarians. 

On  the  conquest  of  Jerusalem,  Peter  preached  a 
sermon  to  the  Crusaders  from  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

After  this,  he  returned  to  Europe,  and  founded 
an  abbey,  where  he  passed  the  rest  of  his  life. 

It  was  at  Amiens  where  the  treaty  of  peace  was 
signed  between  Great  Britain  and  the  French  Re- 
public, known  as  the  "  Treaty  of  Amiens." 

And  now  we  are  safely  lodged  in  Paris,  —  the 
gayest  city  in  the  world. 

Minnie  and  I  had  always  prided  ourselves  on 
being  fine  French  scholars,  —  but  we  were  just 
nowhere !  For  a  time  we  felt  that  we  might  as 

O 

well  be  among  the  Chinese  ;  but  grandpa,  with  his 
usual  thought,  engaged  us  a  first-class  dress-maker 
for  a  week,  explained  to  her  our  trying  position, 
which  interested  her  in  us  very  much,  and  as  we 
were  wanting  only  in  the  Parisian  accent,  and  the 
volubility  of  expression  so  peculiar  to  the  French, 
and  which,  until  one  becomes  familiar  with  their 


208  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

style,  renders  it  so  bewildering,  we  were   very  soon 
in  a  fair  way  of  passing  ourselves  for  Parisians ! 

TUESDAY  EVE. 

We  have  made  some  very  pleasant  acquaintances 
to-day,  —  one  gentleman,  in  particular,  who  re- 
minded me  so  strongly  of  Sir  Henry. 

We  had  some  most  delightful  music  in  the  eve. 
One  of  Chickering's  superb  grand  pianos  was  in 
constant  requisition.  How  Minnie  and  I  were  be- 
sieged !  If  we  only  would  gratify  Mr.  B,  or  Miss  C. 
At  length  Minnie  complied,  and  performed,  to  the 
great  admiration  of  the  company,  Chopin's  Grand 
Polonaise,  in  E  Flat.  "  Something  from  Liszt !  some- 
thing of  Liszt's,  Miss  Maverick !  "  and,  with  a  deal 
of  animation,  she  played  one  of  his  favorite  Caprices, 
which  was  received  with  unbounded  applause. 

Liszt  is  one  of,  if  not  the  great  favorite  of  the 
Parisians.  They  always  speak  of  him  with  the 
greatest  enthusiasm. 

Hungary  may  well  be  proud  of  being  the  birth- 
place of  Franz  Liszt,  for  probably  no  musician 
has  been  more  honored,  flattered,  or  caressed  by  all 
ranks  of  society,  than  during  his  triumphal  career 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  209 

from  1837  to  1847.  After  that  time,  he  recei%-ed  an 
offer,  from  the  Duke  of  Weimar,  to  assume  the  post 
of  Conductor  of  the  Court  Concerts  and  Opera  at 
Weimar,  which  he  accepted. 

It  is  to  his  exertions  that  Wagner  is  indebted,  in 
a  great  measure,  for  the  publicity  which  his  operas 
now  enjoy.  Liszt  stands  at  the  head  of  what  has 
been  called  the  "prodigious"  school,  excelling  in 
the  production  of  difficult  and  novel  effects.  His 
fingering  is  firm,  vigorous,  and  wonderfully  flexible. 

,  THURSDAY  EVE. 

Yesterday  we  visited  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  The 
high  buildings,  toppling  over  crooked  lanes  that  sur- 
rounded it  when  grandpa  last  visited  Paris,  were 
swept  away,  leaving  it  in  a  spacious,  open  place, 
on  one  side  of  which  palatial  military  barracks 
have  been  erected,  while  miles  of  broad  avenues 
communicate  with  other  parts  of  the  town ;  the 
elegant  parks  of  Bois  de  Boulogne,  and  the  Bois  de 
Vincennes,  the  gardens,  squares,  and  fountains,  bear 
witness  to  the  improvements  urged  on  by  the  Em- 
peror. The  Hotel  de  Ville  is  the  finest  municipal 
edifice  in  Paris.  It  is  the  residence  of  the  Prefect 
14 


2io  ATJ.V'.S    WROXGS; 

of  the  Seine.  Its  public  offices  occupy  nearly  two 
hundred  rooms,  besides  containing  several  halls  in 
•which  the  meetings  of  different  societies  are  held, 
and  a  magnificent  suite  of  state  apartments. 

The  original  front,  displaying  the  architecture 
which  prevailed  in  Italy  during  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, has  been  increased  by  two  main  bodies,  flanked 
with  pavilions  in  keeping  with  the  old  portion,  the 

whole  being  adorned  with  Corinthian  columns,  and 

» 
niches  filled  by  statues. 

But  I  cared  very  little  for  the  architecture  or 
splendor  of  the  mighty  building,  —  my  eyes*vvere 
riveted  on  that  historical  room,  with  which  all 
the  revolutions  in  France  had  been  in  some  way 
connected. 

I  saw,  with  my  mind's  eye,  Louis  XVI. ,  when  he 
spoke  to  the  populace  with  the  "  cap  of  liberty  "  on 
his  head  ;  —  and  also  the  noble  Lafayette,  —  a  name 
ever  to  be  placed  at  the  side  of  Washington  in  the 
hearts  of  all  true  Americans,  —  when  he  embraced 
Louis  Philippe,  and  presented  him  to  the  people,  in 
1830.  Not  many  years  ago,  thousands  and  thousands 
surrounded  this  building,  within  which  the  Provis- 
ional Government  were  holding  their  first  session, — 


OR,     WOMAN'S    FOIBLES.  211 

that  astounding  session  of  sixty  hours  !  Grandpa  was 
in  Paris  at  the  time  ;  and  he  says  that  while  the  flags 
were  waving,  drums  beating,  and  shouts  rending 
the  air,  the  doors  of  the  hotel  flew  open,  and  Louis 
Blanc  stepped  forth  and  announced  "  A  Republic  ! " 

We  next  turned  our  steps  to  the  united  palaces 
of  the  Louvre  and  the  Tuilleries.  Grandpa  informed 
us  that  its  width  measured  1,008  feet,  and  that 
the  distance  from  the  eastern  colonnade  to  the 
western  front  is  half  a  mile ;  that  its  roofs 
cover,  beside  the  Museum  of  Arts,  a  library  of 
80,000  volumes,  and  quarters  for  several  regiments 
of  troops ;  the  offices  and  private  apartments  of  the 
Minister  of  State,  the  private  and  state  apartments 
of  the  Emperor  and  his  household,  the  Imperial 
chapel  and  theatre,  and  palatial  stables  for  Imperial 
horses ! 

Next  we  visited  the  museums  of  the  Louvre,  which 
are  twelve  in  number. 

They  occupy  the  magnificent  palace,  completed 
by  the  labors  of  successive  French  monarchs,  from 
Francis  First  to  the  great  Napoleon. 

We  passed  an  hour  or  more  examining  the  old 
paintings,  also  the  Assyrian  and  Egyptian  antiquities. 


212  MAN'S    If'XONGS; 

I  have  a  great  passion  for  the  ancient  and  the 
marvellous ! 

I  well  remember,  when  a  child,  visiting  a  mu- 
seum ;  and  while  the  rest  of  the  party  were  examining 
the  diilerent  objects  of  interest,  I  stood,  almost 
entranced,  gazing  in  speechless  woyder  at  two 
mummies,  —  and  it  was  with  difficulty  I  could  be 
persuaded  to  leave  them. 

This  morning  we  visited  the  Place  du  Carrousel. 
This  is  an  immense  palace  court,  whose  principal 
ornament  is  a  triumphal  arch,  designed  after  the 
arch  of  Septimius  Severus  of  Rome. 

It  is  adorned  by  eight  Corinthian  columns  of  red 
marble,  with  bronze  bases  and  capitals,  and  sur- 
mounted by  a  triumphal  car,  with  four  bronze 
horses. 

The  west  side  of  this  court  is  enclosed  by  the  main 
body  of  the  palace  of  the  Tuilleries,  whose  western 
front  looks  on  the  gardens  of  the  same  name,  with 
their  flowers,  fountains,  and  orange-trees. 

"We  next  visited  the  Place  de  la  Concorde.  In 
the  midst  of  this  square,  between  two  magnificent 
fountains,  rises  the  obelisk  of  Luxor,  a  monolith 
seventy-two  feet  high,  first  set  up  in  front  of  the 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  21$ 

great  temple  of  Thebes,  thirty-four  centuries  ago, 
by  the  great  Sesostris,  who  was  one  of  the  early 
kings  of  Egypt.  Grandpa  informed  us  that  he 
killed  himself,  so  it  is  said,  after  a  reign  of  sixty- 
six  years,  because  he  feared  he  was  growing  blind. 

The  waiter  has  just  handed  us  each  a  letter,  — 
Minnie's,  of  course,  from  Arthur.  Who  is  the 
author  of  mine  I  cannot  divine,  for  it  is  an  un- 
familiar hand. 

I  opened  it,  —  what  kept  me  from  screaming  or 
showing  some  symptoms  of  great  trepidation,  I 
cannot  say ;  but  as  I  turned  over  and  looked  at 
the  signature,  —  Henry  Stuart  Vernon,  —  my  head 
grew  dizzy,  and  I  thought  I  should  faint ;  but,  for- 
tunately, I  rallied  before  Minnie  noticed  me,  and 
perused  the  epistle. 

I  think  as  the 'constant  opening  and  closing  a 
letter  is  sure  to  wear  it  out  in  time,  and  as  I  shall 
most  certainly  read  this  at  least  three  times  a  day, 
I  >hall  copy  it  into  my  Diary,  and  then,  with  the 
original  in  my  hand,  I  can  read  the  loved  words, 
e'en  though  they  are  in  my  own  handwriting,  con- 
stantly reassuring  myself,  by  gazing  on  the  blessed 
envelope,  directed  by  that  darling  hand. 


MAN'S  WRONGS; 

Poor  Minnie  was  so  completely  engrossed  by  her 
own  letter  from  Arthur,  she  entirely  forgot  to  ask 
about  my  letter,  taking  it  for  granted  it  was  from 
pa,  or  ma  !  I  was  a  little  alarmed,  at  tea-time,  when 
grandpa  remarked,  "All  well  at  home,  Kate?"  I 
replied,  "  Yes,  sir  !  "  But  my  fears  were  groundless, 
as  Minnie  was  engrossed  in  conversation  with  Mons. 
Guigon,  and  heard  neither  the  question  nor  the 
response ! 

MY  DEAR  Miss  MANTON  : 

I  trust  you  will  excuse  the  liberty  I  have  taken 
in  addressing  you  without  permission  ;  but  the  knowl- 
edge that,  when  one  is  far  away  from  loved  ones  at 
home,  how  welcome  a  letter,  e'en  though  it  may  be 
penned  by  one  almost  a  stranger,  has  led  me  to 
cast  aside  my  scruples,  and  follow  the  teaching  of 
the  "golden  rule"  in  the  matter! 

Arthur  and  I  arrived  safely  in  Lexington  on 
Tuesday  last,  and,  after  passing  a  day  in  examining 
the  place  and  its  localities,  we  resolved,  on  our  way 
to  Nashville,  to  stop  and  visit  the  "Mammoth  Cave" 
of  Kentucky. 

\Ve   started  on  Wednesday  afternoon,  and  arrived 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  215 

late  the  same  night  at  Grcensburg,  where  we  stopped 
and  passed  the  remainder  of  the  night ;  and  the  next 
morn  started,  with  our  guides,  and  some  other  trav- 
ellers, who  were  on  the  same  expedition,  and  who 
proved  very  pleasant  companions,  for  the  Great 
Cave. 

It  is  said  to  be  the  largest  of  the  kind  ever  yet 
discovered  in  the  known  world.  We  approached 
it  through  a  natural  bower  of  trees,  growing  on 
either  side  of  a  romantic  and  beautiful  dell ;  at  its 
termination  is  the  great  portal  to  this  nether  world, 
and  you  descend  into  it  down  some  winding  stone 
steps;  then,  if  you  choose,  you  can  penetrate  fourteen 
miles  into  the  heart  of  the  earth. 

No  impure  air  exists  in  any  part  of  the  cave  ;  on 
the  contrary,  the  air  is  delightful  and  exhilarating, 
and  highly  recommended  for  diseases  of  the  lungs. 

There  are  a  number  of  small  houses  built  within, 
to  accommodate  consumptive  persons,  and  numbers 
reside  there  continually,  rinding  great  benefit. 

vStalactites,  of  gigantic  size  and  fantastic  form,  are 
found  here,  though  none  so  brilliant  and  beautiful 
as  adorn  many  other  caves. 

This   remarkable   cave   contains    two   hundred   or 


2i6  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

more  avenues,  nearly  fifty  domes,  twenty-two  pits 
and  three  rivers.  There  are  the  Gothic  Avenue, 
and  Gothic  Chapel,  Fairy  Grotto,  and  many  others. 
Some  of  the  avenues  contain  large  and  magnificent 
stalagmite  columns,  extending  from  the  floor  to  the 
ceiling. 

A  river,  navigable  by  boats,  affords  a  novel  means 
for  exploring  these  subterranean  recesses.  Few  forms 
of  life  are  found  within  this  cave  ;  but  bats  and  rats 
are  abundant,  and  there  are  several  species  of  insects. 
Two  varieties  of  fish  only  have  been  discovered,  and, 
what  is  a  little  singular,  one  is  the  eyeless  fish,  and 
the  other,  though  with  eyes,  is  entirely  blind  ! 

This  visit,  my  dear  Miss  Manton,  has  been  a  con- 
stant reminder  of  our  visit  to  the  Falls !  Arthur  is 
constantly  mourning  the  absence  of  his  Minnie. 

I  have  locked  my  feelings  in  my  own  heart,  and 
have  not  yet  committed  myself  as  to  whether  I  am 
lonely  or  not!  I  will  leave  you  to  be  the  judge. 

I  have  alleviated  my  bitter  loneliness,  by  exam- 
ining three  photographs,  and  trying  to  discover  if 
they  bear  a  good  desirable  remembrance  of  a  certain 
absent  friend  of  mine,  as  I  am  allowed  by  that 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  217 

friend  to  retain  only  one  of  the  three,  and  I  desire 
to  possess  the  one  which  claims  the  highest  merit. 

Arthur  is  intending  to  embark  in  the  next  steamer, 
and  to  meet  Minnie  in  Venice. 

If  I  thought  it  would  enhance  your  happiness  as 
greatly  as  it  would  my  own,  I  should  most  assuredly 
make  one  of  your  party.  At  times  I  flatter  myself  that 
it  would,  and  then  I  confess  that  I  am  again  in  doubt. 

Need  I  say  that  I  wish  a  better  understanding  in 
regard  to  our  mutual  position? 

I  love  you,  my  dear  Miss  Manton,  as  I  never 
thought  it  would  be  possible  to  love,  —  but  I  prefer 
to  plead  my  cause  in  person.  Now,  if  you  will  send 
me  a  telegram  on  the  immediate  reception  of  this, 
of  one  single  word  only,  I  will  be  governed  entirely 
by  that  little  word. 

I  shall  see  your  loved  parents  before  I  leave  New 
York,  and  inform  them  of  my  action  in  the  case. 

I  need  not  assure  you  I  shall  tremblingly  await 
the  arrival  of  the  telegram,  to  see  whether  the  an- 
swer is  charged  with  two  or  three  letters  I 

With  renewed  assurance  of  the  tenderest  sympathy 
and  affection,  receive  this  from  him,  who  would  be 
evermore  Your  own  HEXRY. 


2lS  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

And  it  has  gone !  That  dear  little  word  with 
three  letters !  for  why  should  I  trifle  with  such  a 
noble,  generous  heart  as  his?  He  will  not  think  me 
in  too  great  haste,  or  as  glad  to  jump  at  the  chance 
as  some  of  the  wise  would  say! 

I  am  not  a  flirt,  and  never  was  one!  If  Sir 
Henry  tells  me  his  preference  is  for  me,  and  asks 
for  an  expression  of  my  feeling  toward  him,  why 
should  I  keep  him  in  suspense  that  I  may  deceive 
him,  if  possible,  into  the  belief  that  I  am  not  thus 
easily  won? 

I  don't  believe  in  such  nonsense. 

If  he  is  partial  to  me,  and  I  know  it,  why  should 
I  try  to  hide  from  him  that  his  attentions  are 
agreeable  ? 

I  believe  the  foolish  practice  of  keeping  a  lover 
in  suspense,  and  trying  his  finest  feelings  in  every 
possible  manner,  is  the  cause  of  there  being  so 
many  male  flirts  among  us !  There  are  times  when 
man  loves  to  retaliate,  and  who  can  blame  him? 

In  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  a  well-principled,  honest, 
upright,  whole-souled  man,  will  be  drawn  tenfold 
closer  to  the  object  of  his  affection,  if  he  finds  that 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  219 

she  confides  in  him,  and  believes  him  incapable  of 
trifling ! 

And  thus  I  have  trusted  Sir   Henry. 

Should  he  wrong  me,  the  wrong  will  sooner  or 
later  return  into  his  own  bosom.  If  he  proves 
worthy  of  my  confidence,  I  shall  be  well  repaid  for 
my  faith  in  him  ! 

How  fortunate  for  me  that  the  telegraph  office 
was  in  the  hotel,  so  that  I  could  send  my  message 
myself,  and  no  one  be  the  wiser ! 

No  one  has  any  suspicion  as  to  whom  is  the 
author  of  my  letter. 

There  is  real  pleasure  in  keeping  my  secret  locked 
up  in  my  own  heart. 

It  is  laughable  to  think  how  the  "  lords  of  crea- 
tion" insist  upon  it  that  women  cannot  keep  a 
secret ! 

I  confess,  however,  to  a  strong  predilection  for 
arraying  myself  on  their  side  of  the  question  ;  yet 
there  are  exceptions  to  every  rule,  and  I  consider 
myself  an  exception ! 

There  are  a  class  of  women  who  delight  in  run- 
ning from  one  to  the  other,  telling  not  only  the 


220  MAN'S 

news  that  they  glean  concerning  others,  but  also 
all  that  relates  to  themsclvo. 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  this  class,  either  from  self- 
esteem,  or  love  of  approbation,  are  on  the  wane. 
It  really  seems  to  be  the  ambition  of  woman,  at  the 
present  day,  to  keep  her  own  counsel,  and  to  de- 
light in  refusing  to  gratify  the  vain  curiosity  of  the 
multitude. 

Women  can  keep  secrets! 

Women  can  be  Masons,  e'en  though  they  may 
not  recognize  the  grip,  and  have  never  seen  the 
skeleton  ! 

Women  can  keep  secrets,  as  many  a  wandering 
brother,  aye,  and  husband  even,  can  testify. 

To-morrow  we  start  for  Aix-la-Chapelle,  and  from 
thence  to  Cologne. 

Minnie  has  teased  me,  for  the  first  time,  as  to 
the  author  of  my  letter,  and  really  went  so  far  as 
to  ask  grandpa  if  he  had  heard  my  letter  from 
home. 

Whether  he  surmises  or  not  I  cannot  say,  but  the 
only  answer  he  made  was  "  he  never  asked  to  hear 
anything  which  I  did  not  freely  communicate"; 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  22i 

so  I  anticipate  no  further  trouble.     I   am  sure  that 
Minnie  does  not  dream  that  it  is   from  Sir  Henry. 

MAY  1 2th. 

We  arrived  in  Aix-la-Chapelle  last  evening,  and 
to-day  we  have  viewed  the  city,  visiting  the  Cathe- 
dral as  the  place  of  highest  interest. 

This  is  remarkable  not  only  for  its  beauty,  but 
for  containing  the  tomb  of  Charlemagne,  which  is 
in  the  centre  of  the  building,  and  bearing  upon  it 
the  inscription,  "  CAROLO  MAGNO."  On  the  west 
end  of  the  building  is  a  tower  where  relics  are 
kept,  which  are  so  sacred  that  they  are  exposed 
only  to  the  public  gaze  once  in  seven  years,  and 
then  from  the  gallery  of  the  tower. 

For  four  francs  each,  we  were  allowed  a  mo- 
mentary gaze  into  the  chest  which  contained  these 
relics. 

The  bone  of  Charlemagne's  arm  is  encased  in  a 
crystal  framework,  the  plates  of  which  are  joined 
together  by  bands  of  gold ;  his  skull,  which  vulgar 
hands  have  polished  brown  and  glistening,  is  en- 
i  in  a  huge  head  of  silver;  his  hunting-horn, 
made  of  an  elephant's  tooth,  lies  by  the  side  of  the 


222  MAX'S 

head ;  the  cross  which  he  wore  suspended  from 
his  neck ;  two  admirable  silver  shrines,  incrustcd 
with  gold  and  jewels,  and  the  bas-relief  in  gold 
which  adorned  the  marble  arm-chair  of  the  great 
Emperor. 

This  city  was  the  birthplace  and  favorite  resi- 
dence of  Charlemagne. 

For  a  long  time  the  German  Emperors  were 
crowned  here,  and  many  of  their  portraits,  together 
with  the  marble  chair  of  Charlemagne,,  are  yet  to 
be  seen.  The  Cupola  once  adorned  with  the  cele- 
brated granite  pillars  of  the  Empress  Helena,  which 
Leo  Third  consecrated,  was  surrounded  by  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  bishops,  among  whom  were 
two,  who,  according  to  the  legend,  rose  from  their 
tombs  to  replace  their  absent  brethren  ! 

To-morrow  we  visit  Cologne,  and  from  there  we 
shall  proceed  to  Berlin. 

IIow  I  wish  that  time  would  permit  us  to  visit 
Manhcim,  the  place  of  Schiller's  youth ;  Worms, 
where  Martin  Luther,  the  hero  of  the  Reformation, 
was  consecrated ;  Bonn,  the  birthplace  of  the  emi- 
nent Beethoven  ;  Frankfort,  where  Goethe  was  born  ! 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  223 

THURSDAY,  10  P.  M. 

We  arrived  in  Cologne  this  morning.  This  lovely 
place  is  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  famous 
Rhine,  and  is  connected  with  the  opposite  shore  by 
a  bridge  of  boats,  nearly  fourteen  hundred  feet  in 
length. 

Grandpa  informed  us  that  it  received  its  name 
from  Agrippina,  wife  of  the  Emperor  Claudius,  and 
mother  of  Xero. 

This  is  where  the  celebrated  Cologne  water  is 
made ;  and  I  am  told  that  they  have  thirty  manu- 
factories employed  in  this  work. 

Cologne  is  famous  mostly  for  its  monuments,  the 
most  remarkable  of  which  are  its  churches. 

St.  Peter's,  with  its  famous  altar-piece,  repre- 
senting the  crucifixion  of  St.  Peter,  by  Rubens,  who 
presented  it  to  the  church  in  which  he  was  bap- 
tized ;  St.  Ursula's,  with  the  ashes  of  the  eleven 
thousand  virgins  in  its  golden  chamber ;  St.  Pan- 
thalcons,  witli  the  tomb  of  Theophania,  the  Empress 
of  Otlio  the  Second  ;  and  the  great  Cathedral,  which 
is  considered  one  of  the  finest  Gothic  works  in 
existence. 

The   heart  of  Maria  de  Medici   is  buried  under  a 


224  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

slab  in  the  pavement.  She  was  the  wife  of  Henry 
Fourth  of  France,  and  died  in  Cologne,  in  the 
same  house  where  Rubens  was  born. 


FRIDAY,  9  p.  M. 

We  are  passing  the  night  in  Hanover,  and  shall 
dine  to-morrow  at  Magdeburg,  the  town  in  which 
was  the  celebrated  Franciscan  school,  where  Luther 
supported  himself  for  a  year  by  singing  in  the 
streets. 

Hanover  was  the  birthplace  of  Herschel ! 


MAY'  1 6th. 

We  arrived  in  Berlin  about  six  o'clock  last  even- 
ing. This  place  is  surrounded  by  a  nearly  circular 
wall,  of  more  than  ten  miles,  with  seventeen  large 
gates,  and  two  small  ones. 

The  Brandeburg  Gate  is  remarkablejbr  its  archi- 
tectural beauty,  and  the  statue  of  Victory,  driving 
four  horses,  the  whole  of  copper.  Among  the 
statues  in  the  public  squares  and  places,  I  was"  the 
most  delighted  with  an  equestrian  statue  of  Fred- 
erick the  Great. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  225 

The  palaces  are  remarkable,  ->-  the  royal  palace 
containing  over  six  hundred  rooms  and  saloons. 

The  old  museum  is  a  gallery  of  pictures  and 
antique  vases ;  the  new  one,  opposite  the  King's 
Palace,  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world,  comprising 
the  Egyptian  museum,  arrayed  and  enriched  by  the 
celebrated  Lepsius ;  a  gallery  of  pictures  and  stat- 
uary, and  the  celebrated  frescoes  of  Kaulbach  in  the 
stairway. 

The  armory  is  undoubtedly  the  finest  in  Europe. 

I  received  a  letter  from  ma  to-day.  Among  other 
news,  she  writes  that  pa  has  given  up  the  house  in 
Harlem,  and  taken  one  on  West  i39th  Street,  New 
York. 

It  appears  that  Mr.  Vernon  wrote  pa  the  day  after 
I  sailed,  informing  him  that  he  desired  the  services 
of  a  good  lawyer,  to  substantiate  some  claims  that 
he  had  found  in  Kentucky ;  and  as  he  wished  to 
place  it  in  the  hands  of  some  one  in  whom  he  could 
place  implicit  confidence,  he  was  anxious  that  pa 
should  undertake  the  job ! 

As  pa  found  it  would  be  much  more  convenient 
for  him  to  be  in  the  city,  he  took  a  house  there, 
15 


226  A/AX'S   WRONGS; 

as  soon  as  he  had  apprised  Sir  Henry  of  his  wil- 
lingness to  attend  to  the  business. 

On  Sir  Henry's  receiving  pa's  letter  accepting  his 
offer,  he  enclosed,  in  return,  a  check  for  a  thousand 
dollars,  as  retaining  fee ! 

With  what  a  delicate,  generous  soul  Sir  Henry 
is  possessed !  As  if  pa  would  need,  or  ask  a 
retaining'  fee,  with  his  poor,  scanty  income ! 

If  he  is  successful,  it  may  be  the  means  of  placing 
him  in  the  position  to  which  he  is  entitled,  —  the 
head  of  the  bar. 

Pa  may  be  a  Judge  yet,  —  Secretary  of  State, 
perhaps!  Who  knows? 

Minnie  continues  to  studiously  avoid  mentioning 
,  Sir  Henry,  —  whether  from  the  fact  that  Arthur  has 
confided  his  own  secret  belief  to  her,  and  she  wishes 
to  prove  worthy  his  confidence,  or  that  she  feels 
him  to  be  so  entirely  out  of  my  reach  that  she  will 
not  waste  words  in  badinage,  I  know  not! 

MAY  2 1  st. 

We  arrived  in  Vienna  this  evening,  en  route  for 
Venice.  \Ve  passed  a  few  hours  in  Dresden,  the 


OK,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  227 

Florence  of  Germany,  and  a  .day  and  night  in 
Prague. 

We  met,  at  the  latter  place,  Edward  Hamilton,  an 
elder  brother  of  Harry's,  who  was  travelling  for  his 
health. 

lie  is  tall,  well  formed  and  stylish-looking,  and, 
what  is  best,  he  is  very  highly  cultivated  ! 

He  appeared  very  much  pleased  at  the  meeting, 
and  exerted  himself  to  be  agreeable.  He  gallanted 
us  around  to  see  the  lions  of  the  place,  and  seemed 
never  to  weary  of  pointing  out  any  object  that  was 
worthy  of  notice. 

He  tendered  Minnie  his  warmest  congratulations 
on  her  engagement  with -Arthur.  The  time  had  not 
arrived  for  me  to  receive  congratulations. 

I  thought  how  great  would  be  their  astonishment, 
could  they  know  even  a  tithe  of  my  cherished 
secret. 

Never  did  I  find  it  harder  to  hold  a  tight  rein 
on  my  unruly  member ;  but  I  shall  receive  the 
reward  of  my  patience  yet ! 

In  the  evening  Mr.  Hamilton  and  grandpa  had 
a  short  discussion  on  the  "  Woman's  Rights  "  ques- 
tion !  I  think  Mr.  Hamilton  inclines  to  the  belief 


2-S  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

that  women  should  have  the  right  of  ballot, — but 
grandpa,  who  is  bitterly  opposed  to  it,  cornered 
him  completely ;  and  I  really  think,  if  they  could 
be  in  company  for  a  week  or  two,  he  would  finally 
r.gree  with  grandpa. 

For  the  first  time  I  ventured  to  engage  in  the 
argument!  I  found  that  Mr.  Hamilton  agreed  with 
me  in  maintaining  that  woman's  sphere  was  emphat- 
ically, from  her  physical  organization,  designed  to 
be  unobtrusive  and  quiet. 

"Yes!"  said  Mr.  Hamilton,  "this  is  very  true.; 
still,  if  woman  was  intellectually  educated  for  public 
life,  she  would  be  intellectually  fitted  for  it.  You 
know,  Miss  Manton,  that  even  Bonaparte  feared  the 
political  influence  of  a  Madame  de  Stael,  as  much  as 
of  any  man  in  his  realm." 

"  Certainly,"  I  replied ;  "  I  do  not  argue  the 
question  of  woman's  superiority  or  inferiority  of 
intellect,  but  simply  my  belief  that  woman  has  her 
sphere.  The  moment  that  she  leaves  the  place 
which  God  designed  and  fitted  her  for,  and  places 
herself  amid  the  confusion  and  distracting  elements 
of  political  life,  she  sacrifices  those  gentle  qualities 
that  have  ever  been  her  charm  and  loveliness.  Her 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  229 

destiny  has,  by  a  holy  law,  been  fixed  ;  when  rightly 
educated,  she  is  fitted  for  her  sphere,  and  ivhen  she 
keeps  in  it,  she  is  happy  in  the  fulfilment  of  her 

duty." 

• 
"  Oh  !  "  said  grandpa,  "  if  the  women  of  our  land, 

instead  of  wasting  their  time  in  arguing  as  to  the 
right  of  ballot,  which  they  never  can  obtain,  —  if 
these  very  women  would  institute  a  different  kind 
of  reform,  they  would  immortalize  themselves. 

"  Could  they  prevail  on  the  mothers  of  the  present 
age,  who,  with  few  exceptions,  provided  their  means 
allow,  delegate  the  early  influencing  and  educating 
of  their  children  to  the  daughters  of  the  Erin  Isle,  — 
if  they  could  prevail  upon  them  to  undertake  the 
care  and  education  of  their  children  themselves,  it 
would  be  the  next  step,  at  least,  to  depositing  their 
own  vote  in  the  ballot-box. 

"The  mother's  influence  is  felt  by  the  lawgivers 
and  legislators  of  our  land.  It  is  she  that  moulds 
them,  that  instils  into  them  her  own  views  and  pref- 
erences. The  mother's  influence  over  her  children 
is  universally  admitted.  What  a  responsibility  is 
resting  on  our  women !  How  much  of  the  dissipa- 
tion of  the  present  age  is  laid  at  her  door,  for  the 


230  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

non-fulfilment  of  her  duties !  Will  not  some  of  the 
more  noble-minded  come  to  the  rescue,  and  institute 
reform  in  this  particular? 

"  I  recollect,"  continued  grandpa,  "  reading  a  short 
paragraph  from  one  of  our  Southern  writers  on  this 
subject,  which  I  think  worth  remembering.  After 
comparing  'women's  rights'  to  a  '  mental  ignis 
fatiiusj  the  writer  says:  'Let  woman  keep  her 
head  and  heart  clear  from  all  that  may  cause  her 
to  lose  sight  of  her  true  destiny,  and  be  content  to 
be  the  keystone  in  that  beautiful  temple  of  liberty, 
designed  and  executed  by  those  noble  spirits  who 
risked  all  in  its  erection ;  for  to  her  is  intrusted 
the  training  of  the  heart  and  head  of  those  -who 
are  to  guard  this  model  fabric  ! ' ' 

Oh,  that  women  would  check  that  restless,  fever- 
ish excitement  to  be  what  they  are  not,  and  to 
change  what  is,  for  an  uncertain  future  that  may 
break  up  and  destroy  the  whole  fabric  of  our  social 
life!  — 

Vienna  is  divided  into  the  old  and  new  city;  but, 
contrary  to  the  general  rule  in  modern  cities,  the 
old  city  is  the  more  fashionable  of  the  two. 

Its   streets  are   compared    to  a  spider's  web,  nidi- 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES. 


231 


ating  from  a  central  point,  near  the  cathedral  of  St. 
Stephen. 

The  streets  are  narrow,  but  the  houses  are  lofty. 
The  Emperor's  palace  is  an  ancient,  vast,  irregular 
structure. 

We  visited  the  imperial  library,  which  contains 
nearly  four  hundred  thousand  volumes,  and  nearly 
three  hundred  thousand  engravings,  being  one  of 
the  largest  and  finest  collections  in  the  world. 

We  visited  the  cabinet  of  minerals,  where  we  saw 
an  aerolite  weighing  seventy-one  pounds,  which  fell 
to  the  earth  in  Croatia,  in  1751. 

The  great  cathedral  is  the  finest  specimen  of  Gothic 
architecture  in  the  world. 

Its  bell,  cast  from  cannons  taken  from  the  besieg- 
ing Turks,  weighs  nineteen  tons ! 

JUNE  ist. 

We  arrived  safely  in  Venice  last  evening.  On 
our  way  from  Vienna  we  passed  through  Marburg. 
We  had  only  time,  while  there,  to  refresh  ourselves 
with  a  lunch. 

How  much  I  desired  to  visit  the  ancient  castle  of 
the  landgrave  of  Hesse,  where  the  famous  religious 
conference  took  place  between  Luther  and  Zwinglii ! 


232  MAN'S    WROXGS; 

Minnie  and  I  are  feeling  as  free  from  fatigue  as 
when  \ve  first  started  upon  our  tour. 

Can  it  be  the  thought  of  happiness  in  store  that 
buoys  our  spirits  up? 

"  Here  is  a  new  arrival,"  said  Minnie,  who  was 
just  then  looking  out  of  the  window ;  "  and,  as  I 
live,  here  is  Arthur  1 " 

How  my  heart  leaped  to  my  throat !  And  then, 
as  she  made  no  farther  comment,  and  I  thought  he 
was  alone,  I  was  seized  with  sudden  faintness. 

"Why,  Kate,  what  has  come  over  you?"  asked 
Minnie. 

"  Nothing,"  I  replied  ;  "  it  may  be  fatigue."  But 
at  this  moment  the  waiter  tapped  on  the  door,  and 
informed  Miss  Manton  that  there  was  a  gentleman 
wishing  to  see  her  in  number  fifteen.  I  glanced  at 
Minnie  ;  but  her  face  was  stolid,  so  far  as  evincing 
any  suspicion  as  to  whom  it  could  be  was  concerned. 

As  I  entered  the  room,  Sir  Henry,  —  for  it  was 
he,  —  came  forth  to  meet  me,  and,  before  I  could 
recover  from  my  surprise,  he  clasped  me  to  his 
heart ! 

"You  must  not,  Sir  Henry,"  said  I,  trembling  so 
I  could  scarcely  stand. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  233 

"And  why  not,  my  darling?  Are  you  not  my 
own  sweet  love? 

"  Did  not  the  blessed  little  word  Yes,  that  flashed 
across  the  mighty  cable,  place  the  rivet  in  that  chain 
between  our  hearts  that  needed  but  that  little  word 
to  render  it  indissoluble  forever? 

"  Away  with  your  cold,  formal  engagements. 
True  love  knows  no  form !  If  a  form  must  be 
used,  it  is  only  to  the  exacting  papa  or  to  the 
punctilious  mamma. 

"No,  my  darling  Kate,  I  knew  your  heart  was 
mine,  the  first  eve  I  met  you  at  Mr.  Maverick's.  I 
read  it  the  moment  I  asked  you  if  I  had  seen  you 
in  the  horse-car,  and  mine  was  yours  in  return. 

"  The  first  cause  that  drew  you  to  me  was  your 
kindness  to  the  poor  woman ;  for,  thought  I,  any 
lady,  who  in  this  age  of  selfishness  and  incivility  is 
willing  to  rise  in  so  kind  and  modest  a  manner  to 
give  her  seat  to  another  lady,  and  a  poor  one  also, 
must  have  some  innate  goodness ;  and  when  you 
accepted  my  proffered  seat,  I  read  in  your  dear  eyes 
that  I  was  not  mistaken  ;  you  had  a  soul,  —  and  in 
that  glance  our  souls  had  interchanged  feelings  which 
must  ripen  into  closer  intimacy. 


234  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

"I  was  persuaded  firmly,  darling  Kate,  from  that 
moment,  that  I  had  found  my  second  self;  and  I  was 
not  mistaken !  You  were  constantly  in  my  mind. 
The  face  of  each  lady  that  I  passed  was  scanned, 
with  the  hope  of  meeting  you  again.  Judge  of  my 
complete  surprise  when  I  saw  you  in  the  barouche 
with  the  beautiful  Miss  Maverick ! 

"  Yes !  it  was  I,  dear  Kate,  who  urged  Arthur  to 
call  upon  Miss  Maverick  on  that  well-remembered 
evening,  —  trusting  that  if  I  did  not  meet  you,  I  could 
at  least  discover  your  name  and  residence  ;  and  you 
may  imagine  my  joy,  dearest  one,  when  I  found  the 
same  sweet  face  there,  that  had  so  impressed  me. 

"  Before  I  lead  you  to  the  altar,  precious  one,  I 
want  you  should  interchange  views  with  me,  on  the 
duties  of  husbands  and  wives. 

"This  is  justice  to  both.  It  will  be  a  prevention 
against  those  little  misunderstandings  which  are  so 
much  to  be  deplored  in  married  life. 

"If  men  and  women  would  be  more  sensible  in  this 
respect,  —  if,  instead  of  rushing  headlong  into  an 
engagement  and  marriage,  simply  because  they  fancy 
a  pretty  face,  a  well-filled  purse,  or  a  stylish  figure, 
knowing  nothing  of  the  disposition,  character,  or 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  235 

principles  of  each  other,  —  they  would  associate 
together,  with  the  understanding  that  if  on  closer 
acquaintance  they  find  it  will  add  to  their  happiness 
to  be  united  in  the  bonds  of  matrimony,  I  think 
much  misery  might  be  prevented. 

"  But  the  custom  of  the  day,  and  a  foolish  custom 
too,  is,  that  when  a  gentleman  has  called  upon  or 
paid  any  little  attention  to  a  lady  for  a  dozen  times 
or  less,  every  one  that  she  meets  must  question  her 
as  to  whether  she  is  engaged  or  not;  and  it  requires 
a  deal  of  moral  courage  for  any  lady  to  treat  such 
shallow  remarks  with  the  contempt  it  deserves." 

We  remained  for  half  an  hour,  enjoying  this 
happy  interchange  of  feeling,  when  grandpa  en- 
tered the  room. 

I  introduced  him  to  Sir  Henry,  who  informed 
him  that  he  was  betrothed  to  me  with  my  parents' 
full  and  hearty  consent ;  and  asking  for  his  benedic- 
tion, which  grandpa,  as  he  had  known  Sir  Henry 
by  reputation  for  a  long  time,  most  cordially  gave. 

After  a  short  conversation,  Sir  Henry  took  a  card 
from  his  pocket,  and  writing  on  it  a  few  lines, 
handed  it  to  the  waiter. 


236  .1/J.Y.S-    WRONGS; 

Wlmt  he  wrote  I  could  not  divine,  but  as  it  was 
no  concern  of  mine,  I  gave  it  no  farther  heed. 

In  a  few  moments,  however,  the  door  opened, 
and  Arthur,  with  Minnie,  entered,  and  then  the 
mystery  was  solved. 

Such  an  excitement  as  existed  for  a  few  moments ! 

Minnie  knew  nothing  whatever  of  Sir  Henry's 
penchant  for  me  !  and  confessed  to  thinking  it  was 
perfectly  absurd  for  me  to  allow  him  to  enter  my 
mind,  save  as  an  every-day  friend,  and  this  was 
why  she  had  been  so  silent  regarding  him  ! 

"  You  shall  have  the  medal,  Kate,  for  keeping 
a  secret,"  said  Arthur. 

After  a  pleasant  chat,  we  separated  to  dress  for 
dinner. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  237 


XIII. 

SUCH  a  charming  sail  as  we  enjoyed  this  after- 
noon.     Grandpa     thought    the    young    people 
would  enjoy  a  row,  and  therefore  he  would  take  a 
nap. 

Dear  grandpa !  I  think  he  must  have  remem- 
bered his  days  of  lovedom  ! 

Minnie  and  Arthur  engaged  one  gondola,  while 
Sir  Henry  and  I  occupied  another. 

As  we  rowed  along,  the  very  beauty  of  the  scenery 
seemed  to  inspire  new  emotions  of  love ! 

"  I  don't  know  of  any  more  fitting  place,  my  dear 
Kate,  than  the  present,  for  me  to  give  you  my  views 
on  marriage.  The  truth  is,  I  am  in  haste  to  open 
my  heart  to  you,  that  I  may  be  relieved  from  the 
suspense  which  I  feel,  lest  you  should  decline  be- 
coming my  precious  wife !  and  yet  I  think  it  a  duty 
which  I  owe  both  myself  and  you !  " 


238  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

How  pale  my  darling  looked  when  he  uttered 
these  words.  I  verily  believe,  had  he  have  told  me 
I  was  ever  to  do  his  will,  without  a  why  or  a 
wherefore,  I  should  have  replied,  "  I  know  no  will 
but  thine  !  " 

Sir  Henry  commenced  by  saying  that  without 
this  perfect  confidence  one  towards  the  other  ;  with- 
out we  were  willing  to  undeceive  each  other,  and 
own  our  peculiar  habits,  dispositions,  tastes ;  in  a 
word,  as  ready  to  confess  our  faults  as  our  virtues, 
he  feared  we  should  be  obliged  to  adopt  Lady  Bles- 
sington's  opinion:  "Paying  for  a  month  of  honey 
with  a  life  of  vinegar  !  " 

And,  that  there  should  be  no  deception  between 
us,  I  must  first  know  that  he  was  of  a  Jealous  nature. 

"  I  would  not  trust  myself,"  said  he,  "  to  marry 
a  woman  that  was  a  flirt. 

"My  wife  must  be  mine  own;  every  look,  every 
thought,  must  be  mine ;  therefore  I  could  never 
submit  to  my  wife's  waltzing, — scarcclv  dancing, 
even,  —  with  any  partner  but  myself.  Nor  should 
I  wish  her  to  desire  it  even.  You  may  call  me 
weak,  dear  Kate,  but  it  is  my  weakness!  Is  your 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  239 

love   for  me  strong  enough  to  make  me  a  promise 
like  this?" 

When  I  answered  quickly  in  the  affirmative,  he 
replied,  "  Well,  my  dear  one,  I  make  you  the  same 
promise  in  return,  though  you  may  not  own  to  the 
same  demon  !  " 

I  answered  that  I  should  be  quite  as  miserable 
to  see  him  flying  about  with  his  arm  around 
another,  as  he  would  be  to  see  me  in  the  same 
situation. 

"Then,  love,  I  am  exacting!  too  much  so  alto- 
gether ;  but  I  am  striving  against  it,  and  you  must 
be  patient  with  me. 

"  I  am  uncharitable  towards  the  world  at  large, 
although  my  conscience  is  constantly  reminding  me 
that  the  greatest  virtue  is  charity! 

"There  are  times  when  I  am  misanthropic,  but 
with  such  a  darling  wife  to  gladden  my  home,  I 
trust  I  shall  rise  above  this  foible.  I  am  quick, 
impulsive,  often  saying  the  things  I  do  not  mean, 
and  sowing  for  myself  seeds  of  repentance. 

"  And  then,  Kate,  my  sweetest  love,  the  greatest 
weakness,  if  you  call  it  so,  is  yet  to  be  told ;  my 
wife  must  pet  me,  —  must  love  to  sit  upon  my  knee, 


240 


MAX'S 


and  not  crush  down  all  tokens  of  earnest  love  as 
though  they  were  childish  ! 

"  Say  !  can  you  be  happy,  my  Kate,  with  such 
an  one  as  I?  " 

"Happy?  Oh!  Mr.  Vernon,  you  do  not  know 
that  your  faults  are  as  nothing  when  compared  with 
mine.  My  only  wonder  is,  what  could  draw  you  to 
such  a  poor,,  weak,  insignificant  being  as  I  am  ! 
Yes  !  weak,  vain  and  frivolous  !  And  yet,  in  justice 
myself,  not  so  much  so  as  formerly. 

"  I  am  learning  every  day  what  it  is  to  live,  in 
the  true  sense  of  the  word. 

"  I  feel  that  I  am  responsible  to  God  for  all  the 
talents  which  are  intrusted  to  me  ;  in  fact,  my  afflic- 
tions have  taught  me  that  there  is  no  happiness  out 
of  Christ.  Though  I  am  conscious  of  my  own 
shortcomings,  yet  I  feel  that  through  Him  I  shall 
be  strengthened  to  perform  my  duty. 

"  But  no  one  knows  my  ignorance  as  do  I  my- 
self. I  know  but  little  of  the  history  of  the  world, 
either  past  or  present,  and  I  feel  that  I  am  not  the 
highly-cultivated,  well-informed  person  that  such  a 
man  as  you  should  call  wife." 

"  I  have  no  fears  on  that  score,  my  darling  Kate. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  241 

When  we  are  settled  in  life,  it  will  be  a  delight  to 
study  together.  If  it  is  agreeable  to  you,  I  shall 
pass  the  first  year  of  our  wedded  life  in  travelling, 
not  only  through  Europe,  but  also  in  Egypt  and 
Palestine. 

"  I  should  like  to  pass  two  months  in  Greece 
alone,  and  learn  of  Homer  and  of  Hesiod,  of 
Sappho  and  Xicandcr,  and  of  its  mighty  sons,  Soc- 
rates, Demosthenes,  and  Plato !  How  I  should  de- 
light, with  you  by  my  side,  to  stand  on  the  summit 
of  Mar's  Hill,  where  Paul  stood,  and  gaze  around 
on  the  land  where  the  mighty  men  of  Athens  lived 
and  died ! " 

"  It  would  be  truly  delightful,"  I  replied ;  "  but 
oh  !  Mr.  Vernon,  I  Feel  myself  so  utterly  unworthy 
such  an  one  as  you.  I  am  so  filled  with  faults  of 
every  kind  ! " 

"  And  I  feel  myself  no  less  unworthy,  my  sweet 
Kate ;  but  my  conviction  is,  that  no  marriage  can 
be  consummated  with  a  fair  prospect  of  happiness, 
save  between  those  who  make  it  a  principle  to  dis- 
close to  each  other  their  true  characters.  New 
scenes  are  sometimes  unfriendly  to  harmony,  and 
these  develop  new  dispositions ;  but  if  there  is  no 
16 


242  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

intentional  deception,  they  may  be  successfully  en- 
countered. 

"  And  now,  my  dearest  love,  we  will  from  this 
moment,  God  helping  us,  be  each  other's  world, 
striving  to  promote  in  each  other  all  those  Christian 
graces  which  will  alone  render  us  worthy  of  the 
esteem  and  love  of  our  fellow-man  !  " 

"Mr.  Vernon,  you  are  the  only  man  Irving  that 
I  could  love  well  enough  to  say,  '  Your  will  is  my 
law.' " 

"  And  Kate  dear  you  are  the  only  woman  living, 
to  whom  I  am  willing  to  intrust  the  keeping  of  my 
future  happiness. 

"  I  feel  that  ours  will  be  a  happy  union  ;  and  I 
promise  here,  before  God,  to  »be  to  you  a  loving, 
forbearing,  indulgent  husband  !  " 

He  then  placed  upon  my  finger  the  most  exquisite 
turquoise,  surmounted  by  the  richest  pearls,  saying 
that  he  had  departed  from  the  custom  of  presenting 
a  diamond  on  the  occasion,  as  this  was  his  favorite 
stone ! 

I  assured  him  that  if  he  had  have  consulted  me 
previously,  he  could  not  have  more  perfectly  suited 
my  taste. 


OX,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  243 

Venice  is  built  on  seventy-two  little  islands,  into 
which  piles  have  been  driven ;  so  that,  from  any 
point  of  view,  the  city  seems  to  be  floating  on  the 
water. 

It  is  divided  into  parts,  by  the  grand  canal  which 
runs  through  it  in  the  form  of  an  S,  reversed.  It  is 
traversed  by  a  large  number  of  small  canals,  which 
run  through  the  city  in  all  directions. 

They  are  crossed,  so  grandpa  informed  us,  by 
three  hundred  and  sixty  bridges!  Over  the  grand 
canal  there  is  one  only,  —  the  Rialto. 

It  was  from  Venice  that  issued  the  first  book  pub- 
lished in  Italy  ;  and,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  the 
first  newspaper  that  was  published  in  the  world, 
which  took  its  name  from  the  coin  called  gazzetta, 
for  which  it  was  sold. 

Our  sail  occupied  so  much  of  our  time,  that  we 
visited  only  St.  Mark's  Cathedral.  Grandpa  says 
that  Venice  claims  St.  Mark  as  its  patron  and  pro- 
tector. More  than  a  thousand  years  ago  his  bones 
were  brought  from  Alexandria,  and  they  then  built 
this  church  in  honor  of  him.  On  the  top  of  the 
spire  is  the  figure  of  an  angel  with  outstretched 
wings.  This  is  on  the  tower  which  contains  the 


244  MAN'S   WltONGS; 

bell,  and  is  called  the  Campanile.  It  stands  oppo- 
site the  church,  and  to  the  top  of  the  spire  is  four 
hundred  feet.  The  cathedral  itself  is  built  in  the 
form  of  a  cross.  There  are  five  hundred  marble 
columns  along  its  front,  of  various  shapes  and  colors. 
On  its  front  entrance  are  four  bronze  horses.  There 
are  also  five  domes  to  the  church,  the  middle  one 
being  the  loftiest,  and  in  each  dome  one  elegant 
picture  done  in  Mosaic.  The  interior  of  the  church 
is  marvellous.  The  pavement  is  of  Mosaic  marble, 
and,  as  Sir  Henry  informed  me,  was  designed  to 
represent  the  sea. 

It  certainly  is  one  of  the  most  magnificent  edifices 
that  we  have  visited  ;  but  in  so  short  a  time  I  could 
not  see  half  its  beauties.  I  may  visit  it  again,  with 
Sir  Henry. 

JUNE  6th. 

We  arrived  last  evening  in  Florence,  which  city 
lies  in  a  beautiful,  well-wooded,  well-cultivated  val- 
ley, surrounded  by  the  Apennines.  We  learned  here 
of  the  birth  of  a  young  Italian  prince,  who  was 
born  at  Genoa,  and  that  there  were  great  rejoicings 
among  the  people.  He  is  the  son  of  the  Duke 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  245 

d'Acosta,  —  the  second  son  of  Victor  Emanuel,  —  and 
has  received  the  name  of  Emanuel  Filibert,  Duke 
of  Apulia. 

This  afternoon  we  visited  the  beautiful  villa,  about 
two  miles  from  Florence,  which  has  been  lately  put 
at  the  disposal  of  the  Grand  Duchess  Marie,  sister 
of  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  mother  of  Prince  Eugene 
de  Leuchtenberg,  on  account  of  his  nuptials  with 
Mademoiselle  Apatchinine. 

On  the  wedding-day  the  pilasters,  doors,  windows, 
and  arches  were  festooned  with  the  richest  flowers. 
The  chapel  which  we  visited  was  gotten  up  in  the 
Russian  style.  Byzantine  pictures,  rich  crosses, 
painted  glass,  ritualistic  candles,  —  in  a  word,  every- 
thing that  could  set  forth  the  peculiar  rites  of  the 
Greek  Church  were  there.  Our  attendant  informed 
us  that  the  bride,  who  in  private  received  her 
mother's  blessing,  given  with  a  sacred  picture,  had 
the  picture  borne  before  her  as  she  entered  the 
church  and  passed  to  the  altar.  The  bride  and 
bridegroom  then  partook  of  bread  and  wine,  as 
emblematical  of  their  united  life. 

Three  times  they  were  led  around  the  pulpit  by 
the  priest,  who  covered  their  hands  with  the  skirt 


246  MA.V'S   WRONGS; 

of  his  garment,  and  chanted  a  prayer  as  he  slowly 
performed  this  part  of  the  ceremony. 

Just  in  front  of  the  pulpit  was  a  small  square  of 
rose-colored  satin. 

I  asked  Sir  Henry  the  meaning  of  this,  when  he 
informed  me  that  it  was  a  custom  with  the  Greeks, 
and  that  it  was  considered  emblematical  of  the  lot 
of  the  newly-married  couple  ;  and  also  that  the  first 
foot  that  trod  upon  it  accidentally  ( ?)  was  the  head 
of  the  newly-formed  household ! 

A  series  of  dinners  and  other  entertainments  are 
being  given  in  honor  of  the  nuptials.  Sir  Henry 
said  that  if  we  had  the  least  inclination  to  be  present, 
he  had  only  to  make  himself  known,  and  we  should 
receive  an  invitation  at  once.  But  Minnie  and  I 
were  so  happy  in  the  society  of  our  loved  ones,  that 
we  cared  not  for  the  pomp  or  vanity  of  this  earthly 
grandeur. 

Sir  Henry  whispered  me  that  when  I  was  his 
own  I  should  be  obliged  to  be  present  at  all  sorts 
of  receptions,  —  balls,  parties,  and  such  like,  —  and 
therefore  we  would  dispense  with  them  as  long  as 
we  could  with  propriety. 

I  suppose  some  of  the  young  ladies  would  con- 


OR,     WOMAN'S   FOIBLES.  2tf 

siilcr  me  -eery  weak,  and  evince  much  surprise  at 
my  taste  ;  but  I  had  far  rather  know  that  I  should 
be  settled  in  some  lovely  spot,  with  a  few  true  friends 
about  me,  than  to  feel  that  there  will  be  compar- 
atively few  hours  that  I  can  call  mine  own. 

But  I  will  not  dwell  on  those  features  of  my  antici- 
pated married  life  which  I  contemplate  only  with 
weariness  and  disgust.  I  have  been  satiated  with 
high  life  and  its  attendants  in  by-gone  days ;  whether 
I  shall  enjoy  it  more  when  on  familiar  terms  with 
nobility,  remains  to  be  proved. 

I  cannot,  however,   think  them  very  unlike. 

To-morrow  we  visit  Pisa  and  Naples ;  but  my 
most  intense  desire  is  to  explore  Herculaneum.  I 
confided  this  desire  to  Sir  Henry  a  week  since,  — 
it  may  be  that  he  will  remember  it ;  if  so,  my  desire 
will  most  surely  be  gratified. 

This  evening,  while  Sir  Henry  and  I  were  prom- 
enading by  moonlight,  he  said  I  may  think  him 
rash,  but  he  was  very  anxious  that,  on  our  return 
to  England,  we  should  be  wed  at  Helm  Lodge ! 

lie  would  telegraph  to  pa  and  ma,  uncle  Francis 
and  brother  Frank,  to  come  over  in  the  next 
steamer. 


248  .V.LVS    M'ROXGS; 

He  informed  me  that  his  mother  had  a  strange 
idea,  when  she  was  living ;  and  that  was,  to  buy 
and  present  the  wedding-dress  to  his  intended 
wife. 

"  Now,  Kate  darling,  I  will  tell  you  why  you 
heard  it  reported  that  I  was  to  marry  the  Lady  Alice 
Irving!  I  tell  you,  dearest,  that  you  may  feel  per- 
fectly at  ease  when  you  meet  her !  It  was  my 
mother's  earnest  wish.  She  is  handsome,  wealthy, 
and  high-bred,  —  but  such  an  one  as  I  could  not 
love.  My  mother  was  so  constantly  and  publicly 
urging  it  upon  me,  that  it  really  became  a  matter  of 
notoriety. 

"  I  think  the  Lady  Alice  was  not  aware  that  I  had 
so  deep  an  aversion  to  her.  She  fancies  that  I  am 
obstinate,  self-willed,  and  determined  to  have  my  own 
way,  —  that  for  some  reason  I  did  not  fancy  her, 
and,  of  course,  shew  her  no  particular  attention.  I 
always  treated  her  deferentially,  and  shall  continue 
thus  to  do.  You  may  feel  perfectly  free  when  you 
meet  her ;  and  show,  dearest,  as  little  embarrassment 
as  possible,  as  you  will  doubtless  be  subjected  to  her 
criticism  and  general  surveillance. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES. 


249 


"  But  I  have  no  fears  for  you,  sweetest ;  you  will 
pass  this  or  any  other  ordeal. 

"My  mother,  however,  trying  to  believe  that  I 
should  eventually  wed  the  fair  Alice,  purchased  the 
wedding-suit,  with  diamond  ornaments ;  a  suit  for 
the  first  reception,  of  an  elegant  rose-color  of  the 
faintest  hue,  and  pearl  accompaniments ;  and  a  pale 
blue  brocade,  with  Florentine  mosaics  for  the  second 
reception !  This  was  to  suit  her  own  fancy.  She 
knew  the  Lady  Alice  was  possessed  of  unbounded 
wealth,  still  she  must  wear  them,  or  whoever  the 
wife  may  be,  out  of  regard  to  her. 

"  I  will  not  deceive  you,  Kate  dearest,  by  saying 
she  would  have  purchased  them  for  any  other  than 
one  of  the  nobility,  —  for  had  she  have  imagined  for 
a  moment  that  I  should  have  married  an  American, 
she  would  have  disowned  me !  But  she  is  gone,  — 
the  dresses  are  waiting  for  you  to  wear  them,  —  and 
how  happy  shall  I  be  when  I  see  you  arrayed  in 
them!"  , 

How  strange !  how  inexplicable  are  the  ways  of 
Providence ! 

It  had  been  one  of  my  chief  causes  of  anxiety  how 
I  should  procure  a  wedding  outfit,  and  here  were 


250 


JLi.VS 


three  of  the  most  expensive  garments  already  pur- 
chased, and  waiting  for   me. 

"  Another  thing,  my  Kate,"  said  Sir  Henry  ; 
"  you  will  have  no  necessity  to  provide  anything  for 
our  house,  in  the  shape  of  housekeeping  articles  ;  for 
as  I  was  my  mother's  only  heir,  I  inherited  all  such 
articles  with  the  house,  and  assure  you  that  there 
are  chests  stored  away  that  contain  of  such  articles 
enough  to  last  one  a  lifetime." 

Here  was  another  kind  Providence  !  I  couldn't 
speak,  —  my  heart  was  full  to  overflowing.  Such  a 
delicate  way  as  Sir  Henry  had  of  placing  my  poor 
troubled  heart  at  rest! 

"  But  Sir  Henry,"  I  replied,  "  I  cannot  be  married 
at  present  ;  I  must  go  back  to  my  loved  America,  and 
remain  with  my  kind  parents  a  short  time  ;  and 
then,  —  please  don't  be  offended,  —  I  could  not  be 
married  by  any  one  save  my  own  dear  Mr.  Beecher  !  " 

"  Perhaps,  Kate  dear,  Mr.  Beecher  might  be  per- 
suaded to  visit  England,  and  perform  the  ceremony 
at  Helm  Lodge." 

"  Well,  my  dear,  kind  Mr.  Vernon,  will  you  not 
give  me  a  little  time  to  think  of  the  matter  before 
I  give  you  a  decisive  answer  ?  " 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  251 

"Certainly,  Kate  my  darling;  but  remember  that 
I  am  a  lone  man,  and  greatly  in  need  of  my 
wife ! " 

"  Could  you  not  go  over  to  America  with  us, 
and  pass  a  month,  and  then  bring  me  back?"  I 
inquired. 

"  Perhaps  so,  dear,  if  it  will  add  anything  to  your 
happiness." 

Sir  Henry  then  handed  me  a  note  from  my  pre- 
cious ma,  which  he  said  she  t«ld  him  to  give  me 
whenever  the  time  for  it  arrived! 

I  did  not  ask  what  it  was,  for  I  knew  by  intuition 
that  I  should  be  required  to  gratify  him ! 

JUNE  loth. 

We  are  passing  Sunday  in  Milan,  where  we  ar- 
rived late  yesterday  afternoon. 

This  is  a  most  charming  spot,  "  standing  «as  it 
were  on  green  trees,  as  Venice  stands  on  green 
waters,"  according  to  Ratimer ! 

The  principal  entrance  to  the  city  is  through  the 
gate  Tenaglia,  by  an  esplanade  called  Piazza  di 
ilo,  containing  an  ancient  Gothic  castle  of  the 
Visconte  family. 


253  MAX'S    WROXGS; 

There  is  a  street  running  all  around  the  outside 
of  the  city,  called  Strada  di  Circonvallazione.  The 
streets  are  well  paved,  but  many  of  them  are  narrow 
and  winding. 

There  are  not  as  many  sumptuous  mansions  as 
in  Florence  ;  but  some  of  them  arc  fine  architectural 
monuments,  executed  by  distinguished  artists,  and 
containing  many  works  of  art. 

The  cathedral  of  Milan,  next  to  St.  Peter's,  is  the 
largest  in  Italy.  If  is  one  of  the  most  wonderful 
marble  structures  in  the  world,  not  only  for  its  size, 
but  for  its  dazzling  brilliancy  when  illuminated  by 
the  sun,  which  gives  it  the  appearance  of  having 
been  built  of  Carrara  marble  ;  but  it  is  only  the  four 
thousand  statues  which  stand  on  brackets,  or  crown 
the  pinnacles,  which  are  of  this  stone. 

The  building  itself  is  of  white  marble,  the  pave- 
ments* being  mosaic,  in  red,  blue,  and  white  marble. 

The  interior  is  crowded  with  monuments  of 
princes  and  prelates,  and  relics  of  saints. 

The  Amphitheatre  of  Milan,  which  was  built  in 
Napoleon's  time,  would  contain  thirty  thousand  spec- 
tators, and  is  a  favorite  place  for  races,  fireworks, 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  253 

and   balloon    ascensions.      The    arena   can   be    filled 
with  water,  and  used  for  boat-races. 

I  remarked  to  Sir  Henry  that  I  could  obtain  a 
slight  idea  of  the  Coliseum  in  America,  which  was 
being  builded  in  Boston  for  the  Peace  Jubilee,  by 
looking  at  this  building.  I  cannot  understand  what 
our  New  Yorkers  were  thinking  about,  to  allow 
Boston  to  take  the  lead  in  such  a  matter.  For  my 
own  part,  I  should  have  named  Washington  at 
once,  as  the  only  fitting  place  for  such  a  great  afiair. 

Ma  writes  that  a  great  deal  of  fun  is  made  about 
it,  and  that  New  Yorkers  generally  scoff  at  the  idea 
of  the  Bostonians  being  able  to  accomplish  any- 
thing ;  but  we  shall  see  what  we  shall  see ! 

I  myself  am  inclined  to  think  it  will  be  a  success, 
for  the  Yankees  always  contrive,  by  fair  means  or 
foul,  to  accomplish  all  that  they  undertake ! 

The  Coliseum  in  Boston  is  to  be  a  third  larger 
than  this  vast  amphitheatre ! 

Sir  Henry  informed  me  to-day  that  my  wish  was 
to  be  gratified.  I  am  to  visit  Herculaneum  and 
Pompeii,  and  to  take  a  bird's-eye  view  of  Rome, 
lie  says  we  ought  to  remain  a  month  in  Rome  to 
begin  to  see  all  the  wonderful  things  there  are  to 


254  MAWS   WRONGS; 

be  seen.  Minnie  and  Arthur  have  a  great  desire  to 
see  the  Pope!  but  I  think  there  arc  objects  of  far 
greater  interest  that  will  attract  me.  Still,  if  time 
admits,  and  there  is  a  good  opportunity  to  see  his 
reverence,  I  shall  not  object. 

JUNE  i4th. 

I  am  writing  in  Rome,  the  home  of  the  Ciusars, 
made  glorious  by  the  birth  of  Julius  Cassar,  whom, 
having  no  equal  in  history  as  a  General  save  Na- 
poleon,—  the  highest  rank  as  statesman, — as  an 
orator  compared  to  Cicero,  —  as  a  writer  only  less 
than  Tacitus,  —  Shakespeare  calls — 

"The  foremost  man  of  all  this  world." 

We  visited  first  the  Latcran  church  and  palace. 
This  was  founded  by  Constantine,  and  is  the  Epis- 
copal Cathedral  of  the  Pope,  bearing  over  its  chief 
portal  the  inscription,  "  OMXITM  rums  EX  OKBIS 

ECCI.ESIAIirM    MATER    ET     CAPUT  "  ;      which     signifies, 

"  Mother  and  head  of  all  the  churches  of  the  world  !  " 

At   its   chief  altar  none   but  the    Pope    can    read 

mass,   for    it   covers    another  ancient  altar  at  which 

the  apostle  Peter  is  said  to  have  officiated.     In  front 


OR,    H-0.V.-1.VS  FOIBLES.  355 

of  the  church  and  palace  stands  a  tall  Egyptian 
obelisk,  more  than  a  hundred  feet  high,  its  red  gray 
sides  covered  with  hieroglyphics. 

Grandpa  informed  us  that  it  was  broken,  at  one 
time,  into  three  pieces,  and  was  buried  under  the 
earth  for  centuries ;  then  it  was  exhumed,  and  placed 
on  the  summit  of  the  Coelian,  where  it  had  stood 
for  three  hundred  years  or  more. 

We  entered  the  church,  and  found  it  hung  in 
drapery  of  red.  Sir  Henry  informed  me  that  it 
was  the  custom  to  vary  the  drapery  with  a  color 
corresponding  to  the  churches  year.  Red  was  the 
color  of  rejoicing,  and  decorated  the  church  on  and 
after  Easter. 

The  ceiling  was  heavily  panelled,  and  shone  with 
gilding.  The  church  is  filled  with  monuments  and 
pictures,  as  indeed  are  nearly  all  the  European 
churches. 

The  Lateran  palace  was  the  home  of  the  Pope, 
until  he  exchanged  it  for  the  Vatican. 

Most  of  the  monuments  of  ancient  Rome  have 
disappeared. 

Nothing  remains  of  the  Palace  of  the  Casars,  which 
crowned  the  Palatine,  but  crumbling,  beautiful  arches. 


256  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

The  mighty  Coliseum,  which  stands  a  little  to 
the  right,  is  not  more  than  one-third  its  former 
size. 

This  immense  amphitheatre  was  commenced  by 
Vespasian,  and  finished  by  Titus ;  and  when  it  was 
dedicated,  there  were  from  five  to  nine  thousand 
beasts  destroyed. 

I  had  often  heard  of  this  immense  building  in 
my  childhood's  days,  but  I  had  no  conception  of 
its  marvellous  greatness. 

Sir  Henry  said  "  that  when  it  was  first  built  it 
would  accommodate  eighty-seven  thousand  specta- 
tors, and  that  the  arena  was  large  enough  for  the 
combat  of  several  hundred  animals  at  a  time." 

It  was  founded  on  eighty  arches,  and  rose  to 
the  height  of  one  hundred  and  forty  feet. 

There  were  nets,  made  of  wire,  placed  in  front 
of  the  seats,  to  protect  the  spectators  from  the  wild 
beasts.  The  seats  were  built  of  marble,  but  they 
were  cushioned.  The  building  itself  was  of  traver- 
tine, faced  with  marble,  while  the  arena  was  cov- 
ered with  sand.  Every  precaution  was  taken  for 
the  protection  of  the  spectators,  as  its  entrances 
were  almost  without  number. 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  257 

Subterranean  pipes   convey  water   into  the   arena, 
as  at  the  amphitheatre  iu  Milan. 

We  had  a  fine  view,  to-day,  of  Pope  Pius  the 
Ninth.  We  visited  the  Vatican,  the  residence  of 
his  reverence.  Grandpa  and  Sir  Henry  are  so  well 
known,  that  we  have  only  to  express  a  desire,  and 
we  can  be  admitted  to  almost  any  place.  The 
Pope  was  just  going  out  for  a  drive,  and,  as  he 
passed  us,  he  gave  a  very  condescending  -bow.  He 
is  a  fine,  open-faced,  benevolent-looking  old  gentle- 
man. One  would  hardly  think  him  to  have  been 
seventy-seven  years  old  last  May ;  and  yet  those 
who  have  known  him  intimately  say  that  he  has 
grown  older  within  the  last  five  years,  since  he  has 
had  so  many  political  troubles  to  contend  with.  He 
has  much  to  fear,  and  he  is  aware  of  it,  at  the 
present  day.  He  has  found,  to  his  sorrow,  that  it 
will  not  do  to  "  put  his  trust  in  princes " !  He  is. 
very  liberal  in  his  sentiments ;  so  much  so,  that 
many  of  the  Romanists  have  expressed  great  dis- 
satisfaction at  his  many  concessions. 

The  Vatican,  the  present  residence  of  the  Pope, 
is  one  of  the  most  interesting  and   magnificent  pal- 
aces in   the  world.     It  is  in  the  north-western  part 
'7 


258  MAN'S    WRONGS; 

of  the  city,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  cnstle  of 
St.  Angelo,  with  which  it  communicates  by  a  cov- 
ered gallery ! 

The  palace  appears  to  be  more  a  collection  of 
•separate  buildings  than  one  large  edifice.  Some 
idea  of  its  size  can  be  obtained  by  knowing  that  it 
has  two  hundred  staircases  or  thereabouts,  over  four 
thousand  rooms,  and  twenty  courts !  We  entered 
the  Sistine  Chapel,  and  viewed  "  The  Last  Judg- 
ment," a  magnificent  painting  of  Michael  Angelo's, 
and  from  thence  into  the  Pauline  Chapel,  and  ex- 
amined the  same  mighty  painter's  frescoes  of  the 
Conversion  of  St.  Paul,  and  the  Crucifixion  of  St. 
Peter. 

We  next  went  into  the  museum  connected  with 
the  palace.  I  must  own  that  I  am  more  dissatis- 
fied than  before  entering  it!  So  many  wonderful 
things  to  see,  and  so  short  a  time  to  see  them  in, 
that  everything  was  forgotten  almost  as  soon  as 
passed. 

There  were  the  vast  number  of  inscriptions,  three 
thousand  or  more,  from  ancient  sepulchres  and 
monuments;  the  sarcophagi  of  Helena  and  Con- 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  259 

stantia,  —  the  mother  and  sister  of  Constantine ; 
the  picture-gallery,  containing  works  of  Raphael, 
Titian,  Corrcggio,  Guido,  Veronese,  and  other  paint- 
ers of  renown. 

^  Great  preparations  are  making  here  for  the  CEcu- 
menical  Council,  which  is  to  meet  here  next  De- 
cember. 

It  is  said  to  be  the  first  Council  of  the  kind  which 
has  been  holden  since  the  time  of  the  Reformation 
by  Luther. 

One  should  take  a  year  to  travel  in  Europe,  and 
pass  as  much  time  in  each  place  as  will  satisfy  their 
desires.  It  seems  to  me  like  sitting  down  to  a  table 
filled  with  every  sort  of  luxury,  and  eating  your  fill 
for  one  hour,  and  then  leaving  it,  to  taste  nothing 
for  a  week.  My  only  consolation  is  that  Sir  Henry 
has  expressed  the  desire  that  we  travel  for  a  year 
after  our  marriage.  The  thought  of  living  with  the 
darling,  as  my  own  dear  husband,  is  more  than 
enough,  though  I  may  not  see  the  outside  of  our 
house  even  for  one  year;  but  when  I  think  of  the 
additional  happiness  of  travelling  through  this  great 
land,  I  find  the  thought  is  almost  insupportable  I 


260  MAWS    WRONGS; 

JCNI;  19111. 

Today  I  have  consummated  my  ardent  desire  by 
visiting  Hcrculaneum ! 

We  arrived  yesterday  at  the  lovely  city  of  Naples ; 
but  my  whole  thoughts  were  centred  on  Ilercula- 
neum.  Herculaneum  and  Pompeii !  What  a  magic 
spell  clusters  around  these  exhumed  cities  in  my 
younger  days.  Let  pa  but  say,  "  Here  is  some  more 
news  relating  to  discoveries  in  Herculaneum,"  and 
my  attention  was  riveted  at  once.  And  even  now 
I  must  confess  to  the  same  feelings  of  wonder  and 
awe,  connected  with  them  when  a  child ! 

The  morning  was  glorious  ;  all  nature  was  exu- 
berant,—  its  whole  face  wreathed  in  smiles.  The 
bees  were  banqueting  among  the  flowers,  —  the 
hills  in  the  distance  rising  far  and  blue,  range  above 
range,  with  the  silvery  clouds  floating  above  them  ; 
gentle  hills  and  valleys  before  us,  —  Vesuvius  rising 
in  the  distance. 

After  a  ride  of  about  five  miles,  we  halted  at  the 
ruined  city.  My  wonder  and  curiosity  were  suc- 
ceeded by  such  an  indefinable  sensation  of  fright, 
that  had  not  Sir  Henry  been  with  me,  with  his 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  26l 

reassuring  smile,  I  should   then    have   turned    away, 
and   dared  not  explore  its  subterranean  recesses. 

But  I  am  so  glad  that  I  conquered  my  fears. 
One  must  visit  the  place  himself,  to  form  any  idea 
of  it. 

That  theatre,  with  its  highly-ornamented  walls, 
its  floors  and  pillars  of  different-colored  marbles,  — 
the  seats  for  accommodating  its  spectators,  —  when 
I  sat  down  there  and  gazed,  and  thought  how 
many  hundred  years  ago  those  very  seats  were  occu-* 
pied  by  a  people  as  careless  and  thoughtless  as 
those  who  frequent  the  theatres  in  our  own  land, 
and  that  they  should  be  buried  while  sitting  there  so 
instantaneously,  so  surely,  with  no  way  to  escape  their 
terrible  doom,  —  it  seemed  too  awful  to  dwell  upon. 

Then  we  passed,  in  the  deep  sepulchral  gloom, 
along  the  streets,  which  were  paved  with  lava,  as 
in  Naples.  I  found  that  most  of  the  valuable  relics, 
however,  had  been  deposited  in  the  different  mu- 
seums. We  entered  into  many  of  the  houses,  and 
saw  the  cracked  walls,  which  were  propped  to  keep 
them  from  falling.  The  colors  on  the  frescoed  walls 
were  fresh  and  uninjured. 

Sir  Henry  informed  me  that  there  had  been  taken 


26a  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

from  the  ruins,  statues,  busts,  candelabras,  instru- 
ments of  various  kinds,  musical  as  well  as  surgical, 
mirrors,  cooking  utensils,  and  paintings.  Even  the 
eatables  themselves  could  be  recognized  in  their 
charred  remains. 

They  have  also  discovered  some  manuscripts, 
which  are  of  no  great  importance. 

Time  forbade  our  visiting  Pompeii ;  this  pleasure, 
I  trust,  I  have  in  reserve  I 

JUNE  23d. 

We  arrived  in  Genoa  last  evening,  and  took  rooms 
at  the  Hotel  Royal. 

Grandpa  can  scarcely  believe  it  to  be  the  same 
place  that  he  visited  some  years  ago,  with  Irving. 

He  says  that  then  it  was  called  "  La  Superla" 
but  he  does  not  think  it  deserving  the  appellation 
now. 

The  reason  he  assigns  for  the  change  is,  that  the 
elegant  palaces  fronting  the  city,  the  homes  of  the 
nobility,  are  now  transformed  into  hotels  I 

These  palaces  were  frescoed  externally  when  first 
built;  but  as  that  was  many  years  ago,  they  look, 
npw,  anything  rather  than  handsome, 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES:  263 

This  afternoon  we  visited  the  Palazza  Rosso. 
Here  was  a  fine  collection  of  paintings,  by  some 
of  the  old  masters. 

Two  of  them  particularly  attracted  our  notice, — 
the  full-length  likeness  of  a  young  gentleman  and 
lady.  Our  guide  informed  us  that  they  were 
painted  by  Vandyke. 

If  I  speak  my  honest  sentiments,  I  must  say  I 
didn't  think  much  of  the  churches  in  Genoa,  either 
in  style  or  architecture.  One  only  is  worthy  of 
mention, —  L'Annunciata,  which  was  exquisite  in  its 
inside  adornings,  but  rough  and  unfinished  on  the 
outside. 

I  felt  more  interested  in  Genoa,  as  it  was  the 
home  of  Columbus  !  We  tried  to  find  some  memen- 
tos of  him,  but  could  find  nothing  but  a  monument, 
which  was  near  the  railroad  station.  It  is  really 
handsome,  presenting  a  statue  of  the  great  navigator, 
with  the  different  events  in  his  life  represented  in 
bas-relief. 

Sir  Henry  has  just  received  a  telegram  announc- 
ing the  death  of  his  uncle,  Sir  Albert  Fortescue 
Vcrnon,  Earl  of  Somerset! 

Sir  Henry  sent  for  me  immediately  on  its  recep 


264  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

tion,  and  said  that  although  the  hour  was  late,  he 
must  talk  with  me  awhile,  as  news  of  the  death  of 
his  uncle  had  come  upon  him  so  suddenly,  it  had 
disconcerted  all  his  plans. 

He  informed  me  that  he  was  his  uncle's  sole 
heir,  and  that  he  had  not  only  inherited  his  vast 
estate,  but  also  his  name  and  title,  —  he  was  no 
longer  Sir  Henry  Stuart  Vernon,  but  was  now 
Albert  Fortescue  Vernon,  Earl  of  Somerset. 

"  And  now,"  to  use  his  own  dear  words,  "  his 
hopes  of  making  me  his  precious  wife  in  old  Eng- 
land were  dashed  to  the  ground. 

"  E'en  though  his  people  had  have  been  apprised 
of  the  fact,  propriety  would  not  now  admit  it ! 

"  But,"  he  continued,  "  my  precious  Kate,  although 
my  disappointment  is  a  bitter  one,  still  I  will  not 
repine,  but  thank  God  that  your  precious  heart 
is  mine,  and  that  with  His  blessing,  before  many 
weeks  shall  elapse,  you  will  be  my  own  dear 
wife. 

"  It  will  necessarily  require  all  my  attention  to 
be  concentrated  on  the  settlement  of  this  immense 
estate,  according  to  English  law,  and  it  will  take 
from  three  to  six  months  before  it  can  possibly  be 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  26$ 

settled;  and  now,  my  darling,  I  need  not  assure 
you,  that  tKe  moment  I  can  leave  conscientiously, 
I  shall  fly  across  the  mighty  deep,  to  claim  my 
own  love  ;  and  tell  me,  sweetest,  will  you  be  pre- 
pared to  go  with  me  at  the  shortest  notice? 

'•  One  thought,"  said  Sir  Albert,  —  for  he  says  I 
must  call  him  so  at  once,  that  I  may  become  used 
to  it,  —  "  extracts  the  sting  from  this  disappointment ; 
and  this  is,  you  will  be  able  to  fulfil  your  own  desire 
to  be  for  a  short  time  in  the  bosom  of  your  loved 
family." 

Sir  Albert  is  to  leave  at  early  dawn  to-morrow; 
and  at  twelve  o'clock,  grandpa,  Arthur,  Minnie,  and 
I,  leave  for  Paris,  and  shall  return  from  there  to 
America  immediately. 

JULY  1 6th. 

Once  more  I  am    sitting   in   my  own  dear  home ! 

Can  it  be  that  in  a  few  short  months  I  am  to  leave 
it  forever?  I  cannot  bear  to  think  of  it;  and  yet  I 
have  a  presentiment  that  I  shall  not  long  leave  my 
darling  pa,  ma,  and  brother  behind. 

Something  tells  me  that  Frank  will  go  to  Oxford, 
rather  than  Harvard. 

Dear  old  Harvard !  I  wish  I  could  transplant 

« 


266  MAN'S   WRONGS; 

that  with  us.  But  I  will  not  be  so  selfish.  I  seem 
to  be  like  some  people  I  have  heard  of, —  "the  more 
I  have,  the  more  I  want."  If  pa  and  ma  would  set- 
tle in  England  with  me,  my  happiness  would  be 
complete. 

I  shall  find  no  more  time,  at  present,  for  writing. 
Seamstresses  and  dressmakers,  sewing-machines  and 
milliners,  must  now  be  in  requisition  ;  and  yet  I  feel 
as  calm  as  if  I  was  to  marry  an  ordinary  gentleman, 
rather  than  one  of  the  English  nobility ! 

If  I  know  my  own  heart,  however,  I  would  wed 
Sir  Albert,  though  I  knew  that  I  should  have  to 
live  on  as  scanty  a  salary  as  my  father's ! 

But  the  main  question  seems  to  be,  How  I  shall 
raise  the  funds  to  furnish  my  wardrobe?  Every 
article  must  be  of  the  finest,  most  expensive  kind. 

I  have  about  three  hundred  dollars,  —  and  this  is 
all !  I  suppose  grandpa  will  remember  me  hand- 
somely. I  will  do  the  best  I  can,  and  make  the 
money  go  as  far  as  it  will. 

And  it  is  all  I  can  do. 

Minnie  has  just  been  in,  quizzing  me  a  little. 
"As  if  Sir  Henry  Vernon  would  think  of  such  a 
thing  as  looking  at  me,  a  poor  drawing-teacher, 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  267 

with  six  pupils,  and  my  father  the  Clerk  of  the 
House"!  How  Minnie  laughed;  and  I  laughed 
with  her  !  I  could  afford  to  ! 

JULY  a6th. 

Father  has  received  a  letter  containing  a  check 
from  Sir  Albert  for  two  thousand,  on  account  of  the 
law  business.  I  keep  my  own  counsel,  but  I  verily 
believe  it  is  his  delicate  way  of  providing  me  with 
funds.  My  package  contained  a  blessed  letter  of 
some  fourteen  pages ;  an  exquisite  miniature  of  him- 
self, surmounted  with  gold  and  pearls,  —  one  that 
formerly  belonged  to  his  mother,  —  and  also  the 
wedding-dresses  his  poor  dear  mother  was  so  eccen- 
tric in  buying. 

Do  I  believe  in  premonition? 

It  would  be  difficult  to  answer;  but  it  certainly 
was  a  little  singular  that  this  should  have  occurred 
in  my  case ! 

The  Lady  Alice  Irving  would  probably  have 
sneered  at  what  is  to  me  a  very  great  blessing. 

JULY  3oth. 

Oh,  how  the  money  flies!  Fifty  dollars  is  but 
a  mite  in  the  balance. 


268  AfAN'S    WRONGS; 

How  are  all  my  wants  to  be  supplied? 

Fanny  Hamilton  has  just  called,  and  casually  re- 
marked that  it  was  becoming  quite  fashionable  to 
write  books  in  the  form  of  a  diary  ! 

I  wonder  if  I  could  bring  myself  to  part  with  my 
dear  Diary  for  such  miserable  pelf  as  money? 

And  yet,  money  I  must  have ! 

Money  I  cannot  do  without ! 

Yes,   I'll   try   it. 

But  what  shall  be  its  title?  Shall  it  be  the  one 
that  suggested  itself  when  I  first  thought  of  writing 
a  book,  —  Alan's  Wrongs  ? 

It  may  not  be  amiss  ;  for  the  day  that  heralds  with 
joyous  shouts  the  advent  of  "  Woman's  Rights"  shall 
no  less  surely  proclaim,  with  heart-rending  groans, 
the  commencement  of 

"Man's    Wrongs!" 

AUGUST  6th. 

Minnie  called  this  morning,  and  brought  me  an 
elegant  set  of  Florentine  mosaics,  for  a  bridal  gift. 

I  confided  to  her  my  pecuniary  difficulties,  —  for 
I  can  show  my  heart  as  safely  to  Minnie  as  to  an 
own  sister,  —  and  my  plan  for  overcoming  them. 

"Why,  Kate,"   said  Minnie,   "if  you   send  your 


OR,    WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  269 

manuscript  to  a  publisher,  you  will  not  learn  of  its 
fate  till  you  have  been  married  six  months !  " 

"  I  supposed  it  would  be  examined,  and  I  should 
hear  of  its  acceptance  or  rejection  in  a  week,  cer- 
tainly," I  replied. 

"Why,  no  indeed,"  said  Minnie.  "I  have  heard 
of  manuscripts  being  in  the  hands  of  the  publisher 
for  a  month,  without  his  acquainting  himself  even 
with  the  title !  Sometimes  they  will  pass  from  one 
publisher  to  another,  till  they  are  so  soiled  and 
dilapidated  that  the  poor  author  is  obliged  to  re- 
write it,  and  considers  himself  fortunate  if  he  dis- 
poses of  it  at  all.  I  know  for  a  fact  of  one  publishing 
house  who  accepted  a  manuscript,  and  paid  one 
hundred  dollars  down  on  it,  and  at  the  end  of  six 
years  it  was  still  a  manuscript! 

"An  Alcott,  Phelps,  Stowe  or  Hamilton  may  not 
experience  such  treatment ;  but  the  great  mass  of 
writers  have  need  of  a  large  portion  of  the  patience 
of  Job. 

"  If  the  publisher  has  no  place  for  a  new  book, 
he  should  say  so  at  once,  and  relieve  the  author 
from  the  suspense  in  which  he  must  remain  until 
he  learns  the  fate  of  his  writings.  I  should  be  dc- 


270  MAN'S  WRONGS; 

lighted  for  you  to  dispose  of  your  Diary,  Kate  ;  but, 
even  if  accepted,  it  would  not  be  published  until  it 
was  too  late  for  you  to  derive  any  benefit  from  it." 

Just  as  Minnie  uttered  these  words,  Chloe  called 
me,  and  said  "  two  little  girls  wished  to  speak  with 
me  at  the  door."  On  obeying  the  summons,  I  found 
two  of  my  drawing-scholars. 

One  of  them,  Carrie  Knox,  handed  me  a  parcel, 
and  asked  me  to  accept  it,  with  her  love ;  the  other, 
Sue  Morris,  gave  me  the  tiniest  package,  and  said 
it  was  a  token  of  remembrance  from  her.  On  open- 
ing it,  I  found  the  loveliest  gold  thimble  I  ever  saw, 
with  my  name  engraved  upon  it.  When  I  unfolded 
the  package,  words  could  not  express  my  delight 
and  gratitude  to  Carrie  and  her  kind  father.  Carrie's 
father  is  the  proprietor  of  a  large  dry-goods  store 
on  Broadway.  My  gift  was  half  a  dozen  pieces  of 
the  richest  lace,  and  French  embroidery,  edging  and 
insertion.  Minnie  shared  my  pleasure,  and  assured 
me  "  that  the  way  would  be  opened  for  me,  if  I 
could  only  retain  my  confidence  and  trust  in  God." 

AUGUST  loth. 
Grandp'a  came  in  to-day,   and    informed    me  that 

it  was  his  wish  my  wardrobe  should  be  suitable  for 


OR,   WOMAN'S  FOIBLES.  271 

the  wife  of  so  wealthy  a  nobleman  as  Sir  Albert, 
and  therefore  I  was  to  draw  on  him  for  any  amount 
that  was  necessary  to  defray  the  expense.  And 
now  my  heart  is  at  rest ! 

Yesterday  I  received  an  elegant  camel's-hair  shawl 
from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maverick,  valued  at  a  thousand 
dollars ;  also  a  superb  gold  card-case,  elaborately 
carved,  from  Laura  Jenkins.  It  is  surprising  how 
generous  my  friends  are  in  their  gifts,  when  they 
know  I  am  a  -poor  girl ! 

I  learned  to-day  that  my  much-admired  Mr.  Beecher 
had  espoused  the  cause  of  "  Woman's  Rights."  How 
depressing  the  thought !  I  can  but  hope  it  is  a  false 
report ;  for  I  cannot  think  so  great  and  good  a  man 
would  unite  himself  with  such  a  misguided  party  ! 

I  have  also  received  a  letter  from  Sir  Albert,  in- 
forming me  that  he  cannot  leave  England  until 
next  spring,  and  that  I  must  therefore  make  my 
arrangements  to  go  to  him,  and  be  married  at  Helm 
Lodge,  early  in  November.  He  will  charter  a 
steamer  to  convey  the  wedding-guests,  and  not  one 
of  my  friends  must  be  slighted.  Grandpa,  uncle 
Francis,  pa,  and  ma,  have  held  a  consultation  on 
the  matter,  and  have  concluded  to  gratify  him. 


272  MAN'S   WRONGS,  ETC. 

Mr.  Jenkins  sent  me,  yesterday,  a  dozen  gold 
spoons ;  and  Belle  brought  me  an  elegant  pearl 
cross. 

I  have  been  talking  with  brother  Frank,  and  have 
offered  him  my  Diary,  telling  him,  if  he  can  dispose 
of  it,  he  may  retain  all  he  receives  for  it,  as  a  parting 
gift  from  me.  He  Ihinks  there  is  too  little  regard- 
ing the  wrongs  and  rights  of  men  and  women,  to 
make  it  acceptable.  But  I  assured  him  that  the 
subject  was  treated  in  homoeopathic  doses,  and 
would  produce  a  much  more  salutary  effect ! 

If  women  will  only  receive  the  few  hints  which 
'have  been  given  them;  rise  from  the  degenerate 
state  into  which  they  have  fallen,  and  try  to  imitate 
the  character  of  the  woman  described  in  the  last 
chapter  of  Proverbs,  then  shall  we  be,  indeed,  not 
only  the  greatest,  but  the  holiest  and  happiest^ 
nation  on  the  .globe. 


A    nnn"""""""//j 
100  11631? 


